A major UK city is set to get driverless trains next year as part of its rail modernisation project.
In 2023, new trains were launched in Glasgow as part of the full-scale upgrade to improve the city’s subway after more than 30 years.
The renovations have continued and now, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has announced Unattended Train Operation will be introduced to Glasgow.
The modernisation project is in its ‘final stages,’ Time Out reports, and the driverless subway trains are expected to be brought in next year.
It’s excepted the new transport will be in action towards the last half of 2026, but will be gradually introduced and has been described as ‘the most complex phase of delivery’.
Transport officials added in a report that ‘whilst our new system will be capable of Unattended Train Operation, there may be a requirement for some staff presence within the system beyond this point’.
‘We recognise how challenging this transition will be, especially as a first of its kind in the UK’, the report ended.
In recent years, Glasgow has received new carriages that differ from the previous three-car set.
The renovations have continued and now, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has announced Unattended Train Operation will be introduced to Glasgow (stock)
The upgraded transport instead is the same size but features four cars and has open gangways to increase the space.
Smartcard ticketing was also announced earlier this year for the subway, bringing contactless payment to Glasgow’s transport system.
Fifteen stations are being refurbished as part of the modernisation project, and there will be 17 new trains in total.
An SPT spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘SPT is working towards the introduction of Unattended Train Operation (UTO) or driverless trains on the Subway – the first in the UK.
‘However, before the move to UTO, we must have Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) installed and be fully operational in all stations. The first PSDs have started to be introduced at Govan station, this will be followed by Ibrox and Partick.
‘PSD installation needs to be completed and testing carried out across the integrated system before we can transition to UTO. We are also working closely with our staff in preparation for the introduction of the new system and our operating model for our fully modernised Subway system. When all that is complete, we will then have the capability to move to ‘driverless’ trains.
‘We are still working on our final operating model for the new Subway system but our passengers and their safety remains our key focus at all times. We will always have staff in stations to assist passengers and we will have staff in the system when needed – whether that’s at particularly busy times, during events in the city, later at night or at weekends.’
It comes after Europe’s first driverless train made its debut journey this summer.
The vehicle, named Edita, ran along a rail line in an open environment linking two northern Czech towns, its developer confirmed on Tuesday.
It had been operating since April on a local railway used as a testing track by the Prague-based private AZD company producing transport control and signalling systems.
AZD’s railway developer Michal Novak said: ‘The train runs autonomously, it is equipped with systems that enable us to control its traction, brakes, and speed.
The modernisation project is in its ‘final stages,’ and the driverless subway trains are expected to be brought in next year
‘It is also equipped with a device that detects objects and recognises obstacles and reacts accordingly.’
AZD has been running the train sparingly since its launch as its staff often test new equipment on it.
Edita connects two small towns on a 15-mile track that was abandoned in 2010 before AZD bought it six years later.
The company has invested 320 million Czech koruna (£11.3million) in the project, using EU funding for about one-third of the amount.
