THE light rail network in the Finnish city of Tampere is heralded for driving economic prosperity since it opened in 2021. It’s a positive story and one that is replicated in countless cities around the world. Yet something special is happening in Tampere, which is setting the city’s light rail network apart.
At the light rail depot at Hervanta, LRV supplier, Škoda Group, is testing an automated depot operations system with one of the city’s current fleet of 28 Smart Artic X34 LRVs. The vehicle is equipped with smart systems that enable them to move around the depot without being operated by a driver, performing shunting, parking, train washing and other activities entirely autonomously.
During a visit to Tampere, IRJ witnessed the concept in action. An operator oversees and controls the system through a centralised application interface, which shows a map of the depot and a list of available LRVs. The operator is able to select these LRVs to move to desired locations around the depot and the stabling area outside. This can be conducted both in real time and for future movements, such as scheduling an LRV to pass through the depot’s automated washing facility at a precise time. The system can also manage the movement of multiple LRVs at the same time and across an entire shift.
During operations, the operator is able to monitor the precise location and movements of LRVs by zooming in on the map, identifying a specific LRV and viewing its current, past and scheduled movements and activities. A diagnostics window shows the status of the LRV while movement is underway, including its location, the remaining distance of that specific task while it is in motion, and the status of the subsystems on that LRV that enable it to move safely without a driver onboard.
Škoda began working on the automated depot project in Tampere with the pilot vehicle, Lyyli, in 2022. The initiative is part of the Lyyli Living Lab project, which is set to run until 2028, coordinated by the Tampere Urban Rail Mobility Services innovation cluster and hosted by Tampere Tramway. Partners include Škoda, the City of Tampere, Business Tampere, and the local university. The initiative aims to use the city’s light rail network to create, develop and test in a real-world operating environment technology that will improve operations as well as services for passengers. Among those developed by the programme and now in use are a machine vision-based passenger counting system and anti-virus filters in HVAC systems. Work is also underway to reduce LRV wheel squeal through curves.
Photo: Škoda Group
The project is made possible through local regulations that are supportive of innovation and have reduced red tape, enabling participants such as Škoda to develop what it describes as a “sandbox” for its automated depot concept.
This is based on various subsystems developed by Škoda, including the ATO system which controls LRV movements by recognising the precise location of the vehicle within the depot. It is able to comply with the maximum speed limit of 5km/h inside maintenance buildings and 15km/h outside, accelerating and bringing the vehicle to a stop as required. The ATO system is also able to manage distances between the vehicles, including during concurrent operations in the halls and maintaining a tight formation on the stabling tracks.
The system is designed to integrate with the depot infrastructure like maintenance hall doors, track switches, and washing facilities. However, at present the Tampere depot’s track infrastructure is still controlled manually and not incorporated into the system, meaning the vehicle will stop at designated locations to allow points to be set.
The trials in Tampere are focusing on proving the robustness of each of the subsystems under a wide range of scenarios. During IRJ’s visit, the LRV was moved from the main washing facility to the stabling hall, where the vehicle stopped at a designated location, where it waited for the points to be set before proceeding to an outside track. Here, the vehicle’s obstacle detection system was demonstrated, with the LRV performing an emergency stop in response to a mannequin that was placed on the track.
Obstacle detection
At the heart of obstacle detection is Škoda’s Anti Collision System (ACS), which has been developed specifically for LRVs. ACS uses a combination of smart sensors and high-definition maps, overlayed with a virtual tunnel which acts as a warning zone, to detect objects that might impede progress and to assess whether they pose a risk to the vehicle, triggering an emergency brake application before a collision occurs. This technology has also been adapted for use in passenger service, with Škoda on the verge of introducing it in several cities (see panel below).
The LRV is also equipped with a smart surveillance system that actively monitors the side of the vehicle and the coupler to detect the presence of people or objects which could be in the way or pose a safety risk. If this occurs, the operator is sent a notification to inform them of a possible incident. They can then refer to the live feed from the LRV’s network of cameras to assess whether it is safe for the vehicle to proceed or if further action is required. In addition, the system offers enhanced security at times when LRVs are parked and might be vulnerable to vandalism, alerting the controller to possible intrusion.
During trials, the LRVs are working at Grade of Automation 3 (GoA3), with a driver onboard to supervise operations and intervene if necessary. However, the objective is to evolve to GoA4 and entirely autonomous operations for all vehicles, dramatically reducing the requirement for drivers at the depot.
Indeed, Škoda says a lack of human resources is driving the adoption of depot automation. The workforce is aging, and with high levels of employment it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people willing to work what are often unsocial hours in depot environments.
As well as reducing the number of drivers required, the smart depot concept has the potential to transform the roles of maintenance personnel allowing them to focus on more technical rather than routine tasks. This development is enabled by the adoption of automatic inspection systems integrated into the depot infrastructure. Škoda has presented such a system, which is designed to inspect the LRV’s bogies and roof along with the car body surface and structure, eliminating the need for time and resource-consuming manual inspection.
In addition, Škoda’s Predictive Maintenance System uses digital twin technology to map and replicate the condition of a vehicle, facilitating advanced diagnostics and enabling the development of predictive maintenance programmes.
This initiative is also supported by the introduction of automated depot equipment that can replace depot personnel performing manual and often menial fleet maintenance tasks. For example, in Tampere, Czech company TechInn demonstrated its Hydbox One mobile trolley, which performs automatic cleaning and refilling of brake fluid and sand on LRVs. The machine has a capacity of 100l and 8 hours of battery life, enabling personnel who would have carried out these tasks to simply supervise its operation while conducting other work. In addition, Hydbox One is able to inspect brake components, identifying potential issues and their location, and sending this diagnostic information to a cloud-based server for analysis. Depot equipment supplier Hanning & Kahl is partnering with TechInn to use the mobile trolley as part of the predictive maintenance service it is developing for light rail depots.
The impressive progress made so far with what Škoda believes is one of the few entirely automated depot concepts in the world reflects the objectives of Lyyli Living to offer an environment where new technology can flourish. It is also providing a platform for local suppliers such as Škoda Transtech to become leaders in this developing field, which could prove beneficial to Finnish industry in the future.
Alongside the media, representatives of several light rail operators and transport authorities from across Europe were invited to witness the system in action in Tampere. Many of these operators will issue tenders for new fleets in the future. Reflecting on their own personnel shortages and desire for improved efficiency, several commented on how they hope automation could unlock improved performance at their light rail depots. In Tampere, they saw firsthand how such a concept might work.
Collision avoidance technology takes to the streets
AS well as successfully demonstrating its collision avoidance system technology on Lyyli in Tampere, Škoda has adapted ACS for use on LRVs in commercial operation, pioneering the technology in Prague. Live trials with three vehicle types have taken place, proving performance in difficult operating conditions on the city’s 300 route-km network that typically experiences three collisions every day.
Although based on technology pioneered in the automotive sector, Škoda says ACS has been developed specifically for light rail and 40-tonne vehicles that have a braking distance of 150-200m. “We are also travelling with 150-200 people onboard, including standing passengers,” says Jan Hušák, CTO Digitalisation at Škoda Group. “We cannot ask them to buckle up, so it is a different story than in the car, and we have therefore used a totally different sensor set.”
Photo: Škoda Group
The ACS system is based on a combination of Lidar technology and high-definition cameras to detect obstacles and eliminate false-positive alarms that can disrupt operations. Škoda also had to develop its own location system for ACS, with GNSS found to be inadequate in built-up areas or in tunnels. Hušák says the chosen system is based on localisation software, which uses advanced algorithms to calculate the vehicle’s location to an accuracy of 200mm.
During the trials ACS has been proven to detect larger objects up to 100m ahead of the vehicle and pedestrians within 50m. Hušák says the challenge with developing an effective application is to correctly distinguish between what is a normal situation and what has the potential to cause a collision.
“We are predicting and tracking the movement of pedestrians, cars and cyclists to compare it with our own movement, speed, acceleration, and then compute in real time whether there is a potential collision,” he says.
Deployment
Success with the Prague pilot has prompted Škoda to install the system on a fleet of up to 200 ForCity Plus 52T LRVs in production for Prague under a €665m contract signed in December 2023. It is also installed on several LRVs that it is supplying to the German cities of Mannheim, Kassel and Mainz, with the first vehicles set to enter service in the coming months. In addition, the ACS system will be fitted to the new LRVs for the Italian city of Bergamo, has been successfully retrofitted to type 19T LRVs in Wrocław, Poland, and was recently demonstrated on the Sound Transit network in Tacoma, United States, where Škoda says it is targeting an upcoming tender for 220 LRVs.
Tampere’s light rail network
THE first 3.8km phase of Line 1 and the 11.5km section of Line 3 of Tampere’s light rail network opened ahead of schedule and under budget on August 9 2021. Line 3 was subsequently extended by 2km from its western terminus of Pyynikintori to Santalahti in August 2023, and by a further 4.6km to Pyhällönpuisto in January 2025, taking the total network length to 24km.
The network is operated with a fleet of bi-directional 100% low-floor ForCity Smart X34 Artic LRVs supplied by Škoda Group, with local subsidiary Škoda Transtech responsible for maintenance under a 10-year contract signed in 2017. Tampere Tramway ordered an initial fleet of 20 LRVs, exercising options for another five in May 2022 and seven in December 2024, when it also ordered eight modules to extend some of the existing fleet from 37m to 47m. The contract includes three options for up to 46 additional LRVs. Delivery of the new vehicles is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Construction of the network’s third phase got underway in 2025. This will add 13.8km of double track and 15 stops to the existing lines, including a 9.2km extension in the southwest from Sorinaukio to Partola on Line 3, and 4.5km in the east from Kauppi campus to Niiham on Line 1. Phase 3 is scheduled to open in 2029. In the longer term, the city is aiming to implement a further three phases of network development that will run well into the 2030s.
