Berlin has just submitted a tender bid for a fleet of 1.300 special S-Bahn trains. Although at first they will be operated by drivers, the new trains will be designed so that they can later be retrofitted to be completely self-driving!
In order to improve the speed, punctuality and comfort of the public transport system in Berlin, the Senate has submitted a tender of almost eight billion euros. The package, which will be funded for the first time by the state itself, will be used to procure 1.300 new S-Bahn trains.
While these new trains will not be self-driving upon their introduction, they will be designed so that self-driving technology can be retrofitted later. They are expected to be in service in Berlin and the neighbouring state of Brandenburg by the end of 2026.
Self-driving transport is not a new concept to the city of Berlin. Just this year the public transport operator for Berlin (BVG) began testing a small fleet of self-driving buses, which are free to use until the end of the year. Deutsche Bahn has also stated that it wants to upgrade part of its network to be self-driving by 2023.
Several places in Germany have also already seen the introduction of self-driving transportation. The Bavarian town of Bad Birnbach introduced Germany’s first driverless bus in 2017. Similarly in Potsdam, the German company Siemens developed and launched the world’s first self-driving tram.