Germany Unveils First Automated, Driverless Train

Deutsche Bahn CEO said automated trains offer "a more reliable" service "without having to lay a single kilometre of new track".

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial group Siemens on Monday unveiled the world's first automated, driverless train in the city of Hamburg, billing it as more punctual and energy efficient than traditional trains.

Four such trains will join the northern city's S-Bahn rapid urban rail network and start carrying passengers from December, using the existing rail infrastructure.

Other cities like Paris have driverless metros while airports often have automated monorail trains plying terminals, but those run on exclusive single tracks while the Hamburg train will be sharing tracks with other regular trains.

The project, which Siemens and Deutsche Bahn called a "world first", is part of a 60 million euro ($70 million) modernisation of Hamburg's rapid urban rail system.