Automation is also advancing in urban surface transport, but transforming trams and light rail systems into fully autonomous vehicles is far more complicated than in the case of metro systems. The UITP envisages a gradual transition, starting with driver-assistance systems and sections separated from road traffic, before moving on to fully autonomous driving.
Driverless vehicles are already a reality on many metro networks, but the next frontier in public transport automation could well be trams and light rail systems.
The process, however, is considerably more complicated. Unlike a metro, which operates in a largely isolated environment, a tram may, during the same journey, travel through both sections completely separated from road traffic and streets where it must interact with cars, cyclists, pedestrians and other unpredictable obstacles.
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) therefore believes that the transition to automation will most likely take place in stages, starting with relatively simple functions and on sections where operating conditions can be more easily controlled.
Easier on a dedicated track, much harder in the middle of the street
The fundamental problem is that light rail systems effectively combine two worlds.
On some sections, vehicles run on their own dedicated infrastructure, with no level crossings and no access from other road users. Under such conditions, automation can operate in an environment similar to that of an underground system.
The situation changes radically when the line enters the street.
An autonomous system must then be able to react to cars cutting across its path, pedestrians crossing the road illegally, cyclists, parked vehicles or objects on the track, which brings rail transport very close to the challenges encountered in the development of autonomous cars.
The UITP believes that developing a completely bespoke system for each network would be costly and time-consuming. One solution could be the development of modular and standardised functions, capable of handling different operational scenarios.
Automation could begin without eliminating the driver
The transition to autonomous trams does not necessarily entail the immediate disappearance of the driver.
One of the first stages could be represented by Advanced Driver Assistance Systems – ADAS, which take over or monitor certain functions whilst overall responsibility remains with the human driver.
Technologies already in use include speed limit protection and obstacle detection.
These systems can reduce the driver’s workload and intervene when a dangerous situation is identified, eventually becoming components of a more complex autonomous driving architecture.
Another solution is to initially automate repetitive operations or sections completely separate from road traffic, where risks are easier to anticipate.
Operators could thus gain experience with the technology before extending automation to more complex areas of the network.
Autonomous tram tested at a depot in Oslo
However, automation is no longer merely a theoretical concept.
In June, a joint meeting of the European projects FP2-R2DATO and Reskilling, organised in Oslo with the participation of the UITP Light Rail Committee and hosted by the local operator Sporveien, included a demonstration of autonomous tram operation at the Holtet depot.
The controlled environment of a depot is precisely one of the places where automation can be introduced more easily.
Tasks such as moving vehicles between lines, preparing them for service or stabling them can become some of the first activities to be automated before the technology is used on urban routes open to traffic.
Automation is also changing jobs in public transport
The transformation is not limited to vehicles alone.
The UITP points out that the introduction of automated systems will also alter the skills required of public transport staff.
The concept of ‘The Digital Tram Control Room’ was also presented at the Oslo meeting; this is one of the seven case studies developed as part of the Reskilling project to prepare the transport workforce for new technologies.
As certain tasks are taken over by automated systems, other roles could become more important, ranging from remote monitoring of vehicles to managing digital systems, data analysis and intervening in situations where automation cannot make a decision on its own.
Thus, automation does not merely mean the elimination of certain tasks, but also the transformation of jobs and the emergence of new skills.
From assisting the tram driver to the fully autonomous vehicle
For the urban transport industry, the question is no longer simply whether trams and light rail systems can become autonomous, but in what order the technologies should be introduced.
The first stage may consist of systems that issue warnings or intervene to prevent accidents. Subsequently, certain manoeuvres or sections of the route may be automated, and in the longer term, the technology could lead to driverless operation.
However, the pace of this development will depend heavily on the configuration of each network. A system that runs almost entirely on dedicated infrastructure can be automated much more easily than a historic tram network that traverses congested city centres.
The subject will also be discussed at the UITP’s Light Rail Division meeting, scheduled for 20–21 September 2026 in Poznań, where automation will be one of the topics focusing on the future of urban rail transport.
The direction indicated by the industry is therefore a gradual one: first, the technology assists the driver; then it begins to take over certain tasks; and only later might a tram capable of operating completely autonomously emerge.
Share on:
