Rumors that rail transport will soon be entrusted to neural networks and sensors are now receiving official confirmation. Mikhail Symanovich, CEO of BKM Holding, revealed the first details of this ambitious project at a recent press conference, noting that the primary goal of these innovations is to enhance safety and reduce accident rates.

It is still too early to say that driver cabins will be completely eliminated. The company is actively equipping its tram cars with Level 1 autonomous systems. «This does not imply a complete replacement of the driver, but it prevents collisions with obstacles, which in turn increases the availability of rolling stock for service,» Symanovich explained.

Electronic assistants are already operating on next-generation trams in the capital, Minsk, but engineers are aiming much higher. The next step is to create a tram capable of independently completing the entire route cycle from start to finish.

Specialists have already drafted a roadmap for the pilot launch in Mozyr, where traffic trajectories are simpler and more predictable than in Minsk.

This concept implies a radical shift in the profession. «We are talking about full autonomy: the driver will be present in the cabin but will not participate in the driving process. In its final iteration, the tram must move independently, stop at designated points, and open and close its doors on its own,» explained Oleg Bytsko, Deputy General Director for Innovative Development at BKM Holding.

In effect, the person in the cabin will remain solely as a backup and for oversight, transitioning from a traditional driver to a sort of «flight engineer.»

Why is this necessary? After implementing the technology in Mozyr, engineers will assess the economic benefits. However, as BKM Holding emphasizes, the main goal is not money, but saving lives. Full autonomy is designed to reduce the human factor to zero, minimize risks, and make the schedule ironclad and completely predictable.

The idea has been circulating for quite some time (we reported on similar plans as early as February 2025), but developers are not yet providing exact dates for the driverless tram to hit the routes in Mozyr. For now, we can only guess which passenger will be the first to trust their life to a tram with no hands on the controls.