Tests of the "Lastochka" train, capable of operating completely without a person in the cabin, have begun on the Moscow Central Circle. According to developers from NIIAS, the fourth-level automation system fully takes over train control.
A person in the cabin is no longer needed. The train independently accelerates, brakes, opens and closes doors, while the driver-operator monitors its operation from the dispatch center. If necessary, they can intervene remotely – brake the train, close the doors, or lower the pantograph. One such operator can simultaneously manage up to four trains. The system was built on entirely domestic software, created from scratch.
The "Lastochka"'s technical vision has already surpassed human capabilities. During tests, both drivers and algorithms recognized obstacles and signs – the system did it faster. When an object appears on the tracks, it signals hundreds of meters away and begins braking. This skill, NIIAS claims, is not possessed by foreign unmanned systems.
Currently, a "Lastochka" with the third level of automation is already operating on the MCC, but there the driver remains in the cabin to control the doors. The new version is the final step towards fully autonomous movement. The tests are being conducted on a "Lastochka," but the equipment can be installed on any train designed for operation without a driver. After the tests are completed, the system will be certified for real passenger transportation.
In the spring of 2024, RZD announced the completion of preparations for launching the first unmanned "Lastochka" on the MCC – at that time, it was about the third level of automation, where the driver remains in the cabin. In August of the same year, the train went into service: RZD head Oleg Belozyorov called the event historic, emphasizing that passenger trains with the third level of automation on ground railway transport had not existed anywhere else in the world until then.