First Unmanned Tram Launched in Moscow

Moscow has launched Russia’s first unmanned tram. It will operate in the northwest of Moscow on route No. 10, from the Shchukinskaya metro station to Kulakova Street. The tram makes stops, opens and closes doors, observes traffic signals, yields to pedestrians, determines how to navigate intersections, switches tracks, and adheres to the schedule. By the end of the year, three more unmanned trams will be launched in the city, and by 2026 there will be 15. By 2030, the authorities plan to make one-third of all trams unmanned.

Such plans are quite realistic since they do not require major infrastructure replacement: “Where tram traffic in Moscow is separated from the general flow of vehicles, as is most clearly done on the Boulevard Ring, this can be implemented tomorrow. Where the general traffic flow shares the same sections of the roadway, it is, of course, more difficult.

But separating rail tracks, even without any artificial intelligence or unmanned driving, is very useful. Moscow has understood this well and is actively working on it.

So in this sense, it is a step forward. The separation of tram infrastructure will continue completely independently of how unmanned driving develops. In this case, there will be an additional advantage: where no foreign objects appear on the tracks, it will be much easier to implement such a project.”

At the same time, legislation already includes norms regulating the resolution of disputes in case of collisions between unmanned trams and other vehicles: “In the Russian Federation, this has been done within the framework of an experimental legal regime. Separate government resolutions have been adopted for unmanned cars and unmanned trams, and we expect an experimental legal regime for robotic delivery. It clearly states who is responsible for what, in which cases the owner of the vehicle is liable, and when they can hold the developer accountable.

That is, drivers are fully covered, and of course, we will need to wait for judicial practice, which will inevitably appear.”

The next task of the authorities is to launch an unmanned train in the metro. Testing is planned to begin this year and be completed in 2026.

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Shchukinskaya metro station

Shchukinskaya is a Moscow Metro station on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line, opened in 1975. It is named after the nearby Shchukino District, a historical area that was once the estate of the noble Shchukin family. The station’s design features a simple, functional style typical of the late Soviet era, with white marble and granite finishes.

Kulakova Street

Kulakova Street is a central thoroughfare in the city of Tula, Russia, historically known for its association with the local arms manufacturing and samovar production industries. The street is named in honor of Nikolay Kulakov, a Soviet vice-admiral and Hero of the Soviet Union who was born in the Tula region. Today, it remains a prominent commercial and transport artery in the city center.

Boulevard Ring

The Boulevard Ring is a major circular thoroughfare in central Moscow, built in the 19th century on the site of the former city’s white-stone walls. It consists of a chain of ten individual boulevards that form a green, semicircular chain around the historic core of the city. Today, it is a popular recreational area for both Muscovites and tourists, known for its pedestrian paths, gardens, and historic monuments.