Russia's Lastochka is becoming unmanned

Russian Railways launched the first partially driverless Lastochka electric train on the Moscow Central Circle, which became a significant step in the development of autonomous railway transport in the Russian Federation. The train is controlled automatically using a computer vision system that analyzes the situation, makes decisions and performs actions without human intervention. However, the driver still remains in the cabin for control.

Meanwhile, according to plans, by 2026 a fully driverless electric train with the fourth level of automation, which does not require the presence of a driver, will be launched.



It is worth noting that the introduction of automatic control systems on the railway in the Russian Federation began back in the 80s of the last century. These systems made it possible to reduce the load on drivers and save fuel, but they were still very far from complete autonomy.

If we talk about the whole world, automation has become most widespread in the subway, where in some countries completely unmanned trains are already operating. At the same time, the railway, unlike the subway, runs through open spaces with passenger platforms, which requires taking into account many scenarios and more stringent safety requirements. This is why completely unmanned electric trains have not yet been widely used in the world.

Let us recall that the first testing of the domestic unmanned Lastochka took place in 2019 at the experimental site in Shcherbinka. The system successfully demonstrated the ability to brake in front of obstacles, proving that the autopilot reacts faster than a human. The system's reaction time is 0,3 seconds, while a human's is more than one second.

The history of the Lastochka goes back to the preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, when it was necessary to quickly create high-speed trains for transporting passengers. Initially, such trains were produced in Germany jointly with Siemens, and then their production was transferred to the Ural Locomotives plant.

In 2023, after Siemens refused to cooperate, the Russian Federation introduced a completely domestic version of the train called "Finist". These new trains can accelerate to 160 km/h, have a high degree of localization and operate in three regions of the country.

So, in the aforementioned 2026, it will not be the Lastochka that will hit the routes, but its updated version – the Finist train, which will become the first completely unmanned train in Russia.

Autonomization of transport in the Russian Federation is not limited to rail transport. Driverless trams equipped with “Cognitive Pilot” systems are already operating in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Similar Technology will be gradually introduced on railways as well.

At the same time, despite the growth of unmanned transport, there are no job cuts for drivers expected. They will move to new roles as operators and dispatchers monitoring the operation of autonomous systems.