Škoda Group has carried out a demonstration in Finland of a tram being driven autonomously without a driver.

Škoda’s breakthrough took place at a tram depot at Tampere Finland, with a tram fitted with its Smart Depot ecosystem.

The demonstration included automatic movement in various scenarios, all without any input from a driver.

The demonstration of the driverless tram comes one year after the project was announced and marks a major step towards full autonomous operation.

Development of the Smart Depot ecosystem was carried out by Škoda in the Czech Republic.

Progress with the project would not have been possible without the support and financial backing of the PPF Group.

During the demonstration at the Tampereen Ratikka tram depot, complex tasks that the tram was required to perform were entered remotely via a server application.

There was a complete absence of driver intervention as the tram moved automatically around the depot, including passing through the wash line.

The demonstration also showed how the tram reacted automatically to obstacles on the tracks, acting on inputs from the tram’s ATO system (automatic tram operation) and the ACS anti-collision system that Škoda has developed specifically for trams.

Škoda Group asserts that the demonstration places it at the forefront of digital innovation in public transport, with there being a huge potential for digital technology to transform public transport.

It illustrates how the present and future of public transport can be transformed by minimising human error, optimising services, and reducing operating costs.

The Smart Depot ecosystem integrates existing and newly developed technologies to automate routine processes to improve depot efficiency and safety, reduce the need for manual intervention, increase safety, and ultimately optimise costs.

Škoda Group has been developing and testing digital technologies through working with Tampereen Ratikka for a long time.

To help in the development, it created the so-called Lyyli Living Lab in cooperation with other organisations. This is a development, experimentation, testing and marketing environment, with a Škoda Smart Artic X34 tram playing an important role.

The Lyyli Living Lab allows new solutions to be installed, and feedback obtained immediately in real-time.

As well as its Finnish developments, Škoda Group is also working on similar developments at Pilsen in the Czech Republic where it is working within the framework of a memorandum of cooperation on autonomous mobility.

“Last year we presented the Smart Depot vision. Thanks to the continuous support of the investor and the intensive work of our developers, we were able to turn the vision into reality in just one year. The successful demonstration of automatic movement and its response in the Smart Depot ecosystem is another step on the road to a fully autonomous tram,”

Ji Liberda, Digital Managing Director at Škoda Group