Asian Tech Press (OCT 14) -- German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and industrial conglomerate Siemens have launched the world's first self-driving train in Hamburg.

It will join the S-Bahn rapid urban rail network in the northern German city and start operating and transporting passengers from December 2021. Deutsche Bahn believes that driverless trains are more punctual and energy-efficient than conventional trains. Using the existing rail infrastructure, four such trains will join the S-Bahn rapid urban rail network by December 2021.

Deutsche Bahn, Siemens, and the city of Hamburg have invested 60 million euros in the Digital S-Bahn Hamburg project, part of a project to modernize Hamburg's rapid urban rail system.