TMH revealed details on the layout of the drone system in the TEM23 diesel locomotive. This was announced by Dmitry Petrakov, General Director of "TMH Engineering," during the "PRO//Motion.Expo" salon.
TEM23 is a new four-axle model of shunting diesel locomotives. Production was launched last year.
To operate in unmanned mode, changes were made to the locomotive's control system, communication and navigation modules, control and safety unit, and braking equipment.
The unmanned system on the TEM23 includes several key modules:
- Obstacle detection module. Ensures the detection and identification of objects such as people, cars, and rolling stock, and generates commands for the control system to sound an audible signal and stop before an obstacle.
- Safety module. Interacts with the station infrastructure, determines the permissible speed of movement, monitors the actual speed and parameters of the locomotive, and checks the vigilance of the driver.
- Communication module. Provides communication with the station infrastructure, transmits video stream to the control panel and diagnostic data from the onboard equipment, and provides cryptographic protection.
- Navigation and electronic map module. Responsible for positioning the locomotive and provides information about the railway infrastructure, including the track profile and speed limits.
- Microprocessor control system. Monitors safe following conditions, controls braking means, and implements routes taking into account restrictions.
- Braking equipment module. Implements braking commands and monitors the parameters of the braking equipment.
Based on the solutions tested on the TEM23, a complex for unmanned movement of mainline diesel locomotives along the Eastern Polygon is being developed jointly with NIIAS. In the future, it is planned to create a unified automation system for all types of rail transport, including metro and trams.
In September 2025, it is planned to begin testing the unmanned TEM23 at the Chelyabinsk-Glavny digital sorting station to debug the interaction algorithms of the locomotive's onboard complex with the station control system. Acceptance tests are scheduled for March 2026, and mass production will begin in December 2026.
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