Germany’s AutomatedTrain project, which aims to let trains prepare, depart, run, and park without a driver, has been exhibited at InnoTrans 2026.
Developed by DB InfraGO alongside Siemens and seven other industry partners, the project represents a step towards a more energy-efficient, reliable automated system.
Led by DB InfraGO AG, the consortium includes Siemens Mobility, Bosch Engineering, duagon, Red Hat, IAV, Codewerk, TU Dresden and DB Regio. The project began in 2023, receiving €42.6 million in federal funding.
The centrepiece is a DB Class 430 S-Bahn unit, which has been fitted with an ETCS onboard unit, ATO, a train control management system, obstacle detection, a digital map and real-time localisation.
Replacing the human senses with high-precision systems allows for the journey to be drastically safer and more efficient.
Now, vehicles can detect their surroundings in their vicinity and use their intelligent sensor technology to react to obstacles they may face instantly.
The Challenges Ahead
Presenting its results, the project was open about what remains unsolved. There is still no approved, functionally safe method of combining sensor-based perception with digital maps on an open railway, with a lack of proof they could run flawlessly a major issue.
Unpredictable challenges like weather hazards degrading sensor performance and environmental changes looking completely different from the pre-loaded digital map are also problems to contend with.
