The First One in Europe: Czechia Launches Driverless Passenger Train

The Czech Republic has taken a major step in railway innovation by launching its first autonomous train.

On Saturday morning, a blue-and-white motor unit arrived in Dolní Bousov from Kopidlno, running about ten minutes behind schedule.

At first glance, the journey seemed like any other — a single wagon, a quiet route through the countryside. But one crucial detail made this ride historic: there was no driver in the cab.

The train, developed by Czech company AŽD, drew a crowd of railway professionals, journalists, and curious locals for its debut.

Zdeněk Chrdle, CEO of AŽD, called the autonomous train a breakthrough in European rail transport.

“Driverless trains exist abroad, but they usually run in fully enclosed environments — tunnels, fenced corridors, isolated systems. This is the first time an autonomous train will run in open terrain, on a regular line with level crossings and potential real-world challenges,” said Chrdle.

The train is a refurbished 810 series locomotive, renamed Edita — an acronym for Experimental Railway Vehicle for Innovative Technologies of AŽD. It pulls a trailer wagon that seats passengers, and while the system is fully autonomous, Czech law still requires a human onboard who can intervene in emergencies.

“During autonomous operation, the train will not be driven from a traditional control room. Instead, its movement will be supervised remotely. If anything goes wrong, the supervisor can stop the train immediately using an emergency override,” say the developers.

The autonomous train will carry passengers on select weekends and holidays this year. In April, May, September, and October, it will operate on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month.

In July and August, it will run daily from July 1–6 and again from August 4–10. On all other weekends and holidays between April and October, traditional trains will serve the route.

Each operating day features three round trips. The first train departs Kopidlno at 08:15 and returns from Dolní Bousov at 10:05. The second trip leaves at 12:11 and returns at 14:05. The final train departs at 16:11 with the return scheduled for 17:20.

The full fare is 50 CZK for the complete route between Kopidlno and Dolní Bousov. Children aged 6 to 15, students, and seniors over 65 receive a 50% discount. Children under 6 travel for free.

Stops along the route include Kopidlno, Ledkov, Libáň, Dětenice, Osenice, Rokytňany, Rabakov, Domousnice, Řitonice, and Dolní Bousov.

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