From cars to buses, autonomous vehicles are on the rise. Now,
trams will be included in the sphere of autonomous vehicles. In a
six-company-strong collaboration, the Autonomous Tram in Depot
(AStriD) project has been launched in Potsdam, Germany. 

The research project is led by Siemens Mobility and includes five other
companies: Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam^[2]
(ViP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology^[3] (KIT), Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and
Mobility^[4] (IKEM), Codewerk^[5] and Mapillary^[6].^[1]

The project is focused on exploring different options for
fully autonomous trams, in a fully automated tram depot.

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ENTRY LOOKS LIKE IT LEADS TO THE HOGWARTS
EXPRESS^[7]

Automated Depot

“AStriD is the next big milestone on the way to autonomous
trams. By automating time-consuming shunting operations in the
depot, we want to better support our customers in ensuring
sustainable value creation over the entire lifecycle as well as
guaranteeing availability,” said Sabrina Soussan^[8], CEO of Siemens
Mobility.

The project is based in Potsdam, a city near Berlin, in Germany,
and is based in the city’s Verkehrsbetrieb
Potsdam facility. 

ViP
tram stop in Potsdam. Source: Alan B/Flickr^[9]

The research will be based in the automated tram depot,
along with an automated tram.

Throughout the thorough testing phase, the self-driving
tram will be closely examined during various service operations –
for instance, as it runs through a washing bay, onto the
siding.

Different companies collaborating

Each company will bring a crucial part to the project^[10].

Siemens^[11] is in charge of
developing the autonomous tram in the depot; whereas the tram’s
integration into the data and system landscape via a data hub will
be provided by Codewerk. Data will then be localized and tracked
using Mapillary’s digital mapping system.

Codewerk will also develop cloud and edge components for
assimilating the data of all the different systems, and Mapillary
will be providing a cloud-based online platform for the collection
of all street images. 

One
of Potsdam’s current trams. Source: KK70088/Flickr^[12]

Artificial Intelligence will be used to analyze and
process the data to provide digital maps.

ViP in Potsdam is going to provide the tram and depot
infrastructure as well as access to data, systems, and facilities,
all while the company will evaluate the results as the depot
operator.

KIT^[13] is to assist in the
specification and digitalization of the depot, the automation
process and the identification of necessary data. 

Last but not least, IKEM^[14] will analyze and assess
the legal and economic issues that may arise with such a
project.

Soussan declared: “AStriD is the
next big milestone on the way to autonomous trams. By automating
time-consuming shunting operations in the depot, we want to better
support our customers in ensuring sustainable value creation over
the entire lifecycle as well as guaranteeing
availability.”^[15]

The next three years of this project will be
ground-breaking and will see a shift in the future of trams and
tram operations.