If the Vegas Loop is anything to go by, the ongoing technological arms race to develop driverless cars has seemingly distracted taxpayer dollars from tried and true methods of public transportation. One project in the Czech Republic is bucking this trend. AZD, a Czech road and rail technology company, has been testing a driverless train along a rural 15-mile route between two towns since April. While driverless train systems have been deployed on subway lines and airport people movers, this is the first time in Europe that it has been used in an open environment. The line isn’t grade separated, featuring railroad crossings and unfenced tracks exposed to the local wildlife.
AZD bought the rail line in 2016, six years after it was abandoned. The two-car test train that runs along the route consists of a heavily modified diesel railcar, named Edita, and a passenger-carrying trailer car. The train is fitted with cameras, lidar sensors, GPS and other devices to determine the train’s position and scan its surroundings in real time. Current law requires that a driver oversee operations from a control room and intervene if necessary. Yes, they are carrying passengers during select weekends and holidays. According to Railvolution, the car features displays so passengers can see the online transmissions from cameras and lidar sensors that are being sent to the remote operator.
Yes, the driverless train will stop for obstacles on the tracks
The test program has been successful so far as they gradually make improvements to the train and the tracks. According to France 24, Edita has driven 1,060 miles, all with passengers onboard. While noted as being a rare incident, the train has stopped for a rather large obstacle on the tracks: a herd of sheep. AZD has invested $15 million into the project, with about $5 million of that total coming from the European Union. The company’s goal is to develop a Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) system for railroads. This would allow every aspect of running trains to be done with a crew, including closing the train’s doors and leaving the station.
AZD’s GoA4 system could potentially allow public transit agencies to reopen disused rail lines that were shuttered decades ago due to cost constraints. Consistent service to less densely populated areas could be deemed economically viable without the need for a crew to every train. It would certainly be more cost-effective than running a fleet of robotaxis. Last month, HSBC estimated that it could take eight years for driverless taxi services to break even when overlooked costs, such as cleaning, charging and parking fleet vehicles, are taken into account.
