The Moscow Department of Transport and the Sirius University of Science and Technology have signed an agreement to establish a consortium for the development of innovative unmanned transport projects. The ceremony took place at the international transport and logistics forum in St. Petersburg, according to the Telegram channel of the capital's Department of Transport. The association will be formed by the Moscow government in conjunction with the Talent and Success Educational Foundation, the Sirius administration, Russian Railways, TMH, and the Russian University of Transport (MIIT). The consortium will allow the opening of test sites for phased testing of unmanned transport. After passing all stages, major cities in Russia will be able to receive a certified unmanned vehicle ready to serve city streets.
Consortium tasks for testing unmanned transport
Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov said that the agreement will ensure Russia's technological leadership. Key areas include the safety of road users, cybersecurity, and the introduction of modern information technologies. According to Liksutov, the goal is to simplify the testing and implementation of developments created in Sirius and other scientific centers so that their effect is immediately felt by city residents. Moscow, on the instructions of Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, is ready to share its own developments with the regions.
The Chairman of the Council of the Sirius Federal Territory and the head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation, Elena Shmeleva, noted that the development of AI, transport technologies, and cybersecurity is turning Russia's transport system into an advantage. According to her, training and experimental test sites are already being created in the federal territory and in St. Petersburg, focusing on Moscow's best practices. Using domestic technologies, it is planned to create an advanced model of the transport system, which has no analogues in the world.
The consortium brings together key players: a government customer (the Moscow government), a scientific and educational center (Sirius, MIIT), an infrastructure monopolist (Russian Railways), and a rolling stock manufacturer (TMH). This cooperation allows standardizing safety, cybersecurity, and operational requirements. The creation of test sites on the basis of Sirius and in St. Petersburg will accelerate the entry of developments into the market, shortening the path from a laboratory sample to a certified product.
For large cities, the emergence of certified unmanned transport means the possibility of introducing automated shuttles, unmanned trams, and cargo modules without lengthy approvals. Moscow already has experience in operating unmanned taxis and electric buses with elements of autonomous control. The transfer of best practices to the regions through the consortium will allow replicating solutions in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation without creating infrastructure from scratch.
