Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
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Sergei Sobyanin took part in the launch of the first driverless tram in Russia. It will transport passengers in the northwest of Moscow on route No. 10 "Metro Shchukinskaya" – "Ulitsa Kulakova".
Two unmanned trams were also launched – test laboratories. They are used to test new versions of software and train artificial intelligence.
"Moscow has gathered high technologies in the field of unmanned transport. Such companies as Yandex, Sber and a number of others are engaged in them. A federal center for unmanned aircraft transport and aviation systems has been created in Moscow. Leading Moscow universities are also engaged in unmanned technologies. This allowed us to create our own unmanned transport center in 2023, which was tasked with creating specific unmanned technologies for specific types of urban transport, on specific routes. In two years, in fact, the guys implemented this project, tested it. And today – good luck, we are starting real unmanned traffic. Today is the first tram, by the end of the year there will be three, next year – 15," the Mayor of Moscow noted.
Since May 2024, the unmanned tram has traveled more than eight thousand kilometers in test mode without ever violating traffic rules.
By the end of 2025, three more trams will be equipped with driverless technology. As the tests are completed, they will begin to operate regular passenger services along route No. 10. By the end of 2026, 15 trams from the Krasnopresnensky depot will be operating in driverless mode.
By 2030, it is planned to equip more than 300 Moscow trams, or about two-thirds of the capital's fleet, with driverless technology. It is expected that by 2035, about 90 percent of Moscow trams will operate based on driverless technology. This will ensure maximum reliability and accuracy of the schedule.
Launch of the first driverless tram in Russia
The development of unmanned technologies in urban transport is carried out within the framework of the transport development strategy until 2030, approved by Sergei Sobyanin.
In 2023, the Moscow Center for Research and Development of Unmanned Transport began a practical solution to the problem of organizing the movement of unmanned trams, set by the Mayor of Moscow.
Tram route No. 10, which plays an important role in the daily life of Strogino residents, was chosen for testing and then for regular operation. More than 4.5 thousand trips are made on it daily on six modern Russian-made trams.
In accordance with Russian legislation, the launch of the country's first fully driverless tram was carried out in three stages. Numerous tests were carried out within their framework.
The first stage, which began in May 2024, involved testing an unmanned tram without passengers at night, with a driver and a system to duplicate his actions. The system ensured the movement of the vehicle, but the final decisions were made by the driver.
As a result, the driverless tram and its software were fully prepared for the second stage of testing – test rides with passengers.
The second stage became possible after the Russian Government established an experimental legal regime (ELR) for launching unmanned transport. The document was prepared by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development based on an initiative proposal by the Moscow Government. The capital became the first city in the country to initiate the use of the ELR for launching fully unmanned transport.
During the second stage, the unmanned tram went on the route both with and without passengers. The unmanned driving system took over the control and decision-making functions, and the driver constantly backed up the actions of the computing systems.
The tram ran around the city on a special schedule. The main indicators of the various systems were broadcast on a large screen in the cabin. It allowed one to evaluate how the tram saw the surrounding space through the machine vision system.
Following the results of the second stage, a decision was made on the third stage – the launch of regular unmanned tram service with passengers. It began on September 3, 2025.
The first driverless tram in Russia makes stops on its own, opens and closes doors, follows traffic lights, lets pedestrians pass, determines how to drive through intersections, switches switches and strictly adheres to the traffic schedule. The system works in such a way that the driverless tram will never collide with the vehicle in front.
There is a tram control employee in the cabin to monitor the traffic and perform other functions, including control over fare collection. Passengers will not feel any difference from their usual tram rides with a driver — they are provided with the same comfort and safety. In emergency situations, the employee is required to open or close the doors, as well as resolve other issues. He will not interfere with the tram control — thanks to artificial intelligence and special software, the traffic is completely autonomous.
The presence of a tram control officer in an unmanned tram is a current requirement of federal legislation. The Moscow government is working with the Russian Ministry of Transport to amend the regulatory framework, which will allow the operator to be present in the cabin without a tram control license.
The tram software was created by Moscow Metro employees without involving third-party companies. It allows using artificial intelligence to control the tram in the conditions of a huge metropolis.
"The smart technology developed by the city is unique. It works more accurately and reliably than foreign analogues. It has already been recognized with prestigious international awards," Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his account in
messenger MAX.
Source: Moscow Mayor's channelmessenger MAX
Innovative solutions developed for the launch of the first driverless tram in Russia have already been recognized by prestigious national and international awards, including the Reforum Awards (in the Innovation of the Year category), Company of the Future — 2024 (Digital Transformation), Magistral Awards (Best Project of the Year), CDO/CDTO Awards 2025 (Digital Region), Digital Leaders Award 2025 (Digital Leader of the Year), Priority: Digital — 2025 (Artificial Intelligence), and Ecotech Leader — 2025 (Perspective).
Thanks to effective cooperation with the Bank of Russia, the capital's unmanned tram became the first vehicle in the country to be insured using a smart contract with settlements in digital rubles.
The digital form of the national currency combines reliability, high speed of payments and security due to the complete transparency of all financial transactions. To receive insurance coverage, simply pay for travel in any convenient way and apply the card to the validator when entering the salon.
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Operating principles of an unmanned tram
The control system for the movement of an unmanned tram developed in Moscow guarantees maximum reliability and comfort of travel, as well as the accuracy of the schedule.
The technology for controlling an unmanned tram is based on complex, interconnected intelligent systems. These include:
— a high-precision route map consisting of two parts — a lidar map to determine the tram's position in space, and a vector map. All road elements are transferred to the vector map, including tram tracks, stops, roads, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and turnouts;
— a sensor system that includes cameras, radars, lidars, and an inertial measuring and navigation system. Special sensors and capabilities of the developed computing systems allow real-time analysis of the situation on the road and prediction of maneuvers of other road users. In particular, lidars provide a 360-degree view, see objects at a distance of up to 200 meters and determine their location with an accuracy of up to two centimeters. Radars help navigate in bad weather and estimate the speed of other road users. Cameras determine what kind of object is in front of the tram — a pedestrian, a car, a dog, or a traffic light;
— a localization system that ensures continuous determination of the tram's location in space and correction of its route based on comparison with a lidar map. It does not depend on the presence of GLONASS satellite signals;
— a computer vision system. It receives information from sensors of the sensor system (lidars, cameras and radars) and processes it using classical and neural network methods;
— the tram can receive data on current traffic light signals using V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) technology — wireless communication with other road users and transport infrastructure;
— a traffic planning system that processes information from all systems of the unmanned tram. It makes decisions based on a set of pre-described control rules concerning the passage of specific sections of the route, the choice of speed and the formation of a smooth trajectory of movement. Then the system checks for obstacles and, in the event of a potentially dangerous situation, corrects the trajectory. Thus, the neural network determines the position of the turnout approximately 30–40 meters away for further decision-making on the automatic switching of the turnouts;
— a system to prevent wheel slippage. It is used when driving in adverse weather conditions, including ice. The system was specially developed by Moscow Metro employees for the unmanned tram. The technology replicates the actions of an automobile anti-lock braking system, which prevents wheels from locking during braking, and the stability control system, which is designed to maintain stability and control.
The next step is a driverless metro
On the instructions of Sergei Sobyanin, the first stage of experimental operation of the first unmanned metro train in Russia will begin in December 2025. Its control system will be tested at night without passengers on the Big Circle Line on a modern train of the Moscow series.
The tests will include systems for automatic control of falls on the track, machine vision, interaction with the control center, and others. In the future, the train schedule will be compiled automatically.
It is expected that a working prototype of the train will be ready by the end of 2026. It will be able to run completely unmanned with passengers and taking into account the Moscow metro intervals – 90 seconds during rush hours. This will be the best unmanned train control system in the world.
Development of the Moscow tram network
The length of tram tracks in the capital is about 430 kilometers. Of these, 82 percent are separated from highways and are located on a separate track.
In 2010, only four percent of trams on the lines were new. Today, the city's tram fleet is 97 percent updated. The average age of the rolling stock does not exceed six years – this is the best indicator not only in Russia, but also among all megacities in the world.
There are 35 routes in the capital, with passengers making about 750 thousand trips daily. Compared to 2023, passenger traffic has increased by 20 percent. Among the most popular routes are No. 17 Medvedkovo – Ostankino (over 52 thousand trips), No. 6 Bratsevo – Sokol Metro (38 thousand trips), No. 12 Vostochnoye Izmailovo – Dubrovka (over 33 thousand).
In 2024, a new double-track tram line on Sergiya Radonezhskogo Street, over 860 meters long, opened. This made it possible to organize a new tram route No. 2 "3rd Vladimirskaya Street" – "Kursky Station". The interval is 10 minutes. More convenient and faster options for daily travel were received by about 700 thousand residents of the South-Eastern, Eastern and Central Administrative Districts. Including over 300 thousand residents of the eastern districts of the city – Lefortovo, Sokolina Gora and Perovo – received a direct transport connection with Kursky Station.
In April 2025, after a large-scale reconstruction, the renovated tram depot named after P. L. Apakova on Shabolovka Street opened. This is the oldest operating enterprise of electric transport in the capital, existing since 1909. After the renovation, the depot became modern and innovative. Now it can service the new generation of trams that operate in the capital. The capacity of the depot is 77 cars, including single-section and three-section models.
There are plans to expand Moscow's tram network, including opening a new line on Akademika Sakharova Avenue from Komsomolskaya Square to Chistoprudny Boulevard and restoring the tram line on Trifonovskaya Street to Rizhskaya Square. The new lines will allow for additional tram routes and increase the popularity of this type of transport.
In 2025–2026, another 100 modern single-section trams of the new generation will be delivered to the city park. All of them will arrive at the P. L. Apakova depot. This will allow the tram park to be fully updated. The cars will be equipped with everything necessary for comfortable travel: a completely low floor, a climate control system, multimedia screens and sockets for charging mobile devices. The trams will be equipped with an autonomous running system and prepared for unmanned movement — they will be able to travel at least four kilometers without a contact network.
In addition, Sergei Sobyanin ordered the modernization of tram depots. It is planned to reconstruct all four remaining depots by 2030, as well as repurpose the former 7th trolleybus depot on Nagatinskaya Street into a new tram depot "Nagatinskoye". As a result, all Moscow tram depots (seven sites) will meet the most modern standards for servicing the latest generation of trams.
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