The first-ever driverless train in Czechia started operating on the Kopidlno to Dolní Bousov line in the Mladá Boleslav region. This marks a historic milestone as Europe’s first autonomous train to carry passengers, with the first public rides that started in April.

Czechia’s ground-breaking driverless train features a Czech-made, specially modified 811 series engine known as Edita. This sleek, bright blue and white railcar travels along the "Kopidlnka" line, connecting the towns of Kopidlno and Dolní Bousov.

Prior to its public debut, the train underwent a full year of intensive testing on this very route to ensure it meets the highest safety standards. Zdeněk Lokaj, an expert in autonomous systems from the Czech Technical University in Prague, explains how the technology behind the train works:

“The train is equipped with various components, with the key one being a set of sensors that monitor the train's surroundings. Additionally, there’s a computing system that processes the data collected by these sensors and adjusts the speed as needed. It’s designed to steer and react to sudden situations, like obstacles on the track, or to adjust speed either up or down.”

While the train operates autonomously, a driver will still be on board for now. This is because technology is not yet ready to operate fully without human oversight and the rides are still part of a testing process, says Mr. Lokaj:

“In this case, it's more of a testing phase, where we’re working with people. This isn’t a standard operation yet because current Czech law doesn’t permit full autonomy. The driver remains on board because the technology is not yet capable of handling 100% of situations. If the system encounters a scenario it cannot handle, or in the event of a sudden failure, the driver is there to step in and take over the driving.”

For fully autonomous trains to operate without a driver, changes to Czech law will be required. Additionally, the technology itself still needs to improve in order to ensure that it can handle every possible situation safely:

“In terms of technology, we must ensure that the train can react to every possible event, which is quite complex. When you're in urban traffic, there’s an overwhelming number of potential events that could occur. The technology has to be trained to react correctly and remain safe at all times. A key feature is that it must also be able to recognize when it is no longer safe to operate and stop to prevent an accident,” says Mr. Lokaj.

The first fully autonomous train connection, with no driver required, is planned to be launched in Czechia by 2031. It will be running on the so-called Plum Lime (Švestková dráha), connecting the northern Bohemian towns of Litoměřice, Lovosice, and Most.

Delivered by CzechTrade team Canada.
Source: ČRo Radiožurnal.