European startup Futurail has raised a total of €7.5 million to accelerate development of its autonomy stack for self-driving trains. The round was co-led by Asterion Ventures and Leap435, with participation from EIT Urban Mobility, Zero Infinity Partners, and Heroic Ventures.
Founded in 2023, Futurail is led by former Tesla, Argo AI, and Edge Case engineers, including CEO Alex Haag, who previously built Audi’s self-driving unit and co-founded the Argo AI venture with Ford and Volkswagen. The team’s mission is to decarbonize transportation by making trains the most attractive mobility option.
Futurail’s first focus is depot autonomy, where up to 30% of drivers’ time is spent shunting trains in fenced-off areas. By automating this repetitive work, the system frees up drivers for passenger service and reduces operating costs. According to the company, its autonomy stack can cut driver costs by as much as 80%.
“Training a driver takes years, and nearly half of Europe’s rail workforce is nearing retirement. We’re not replacing drivers—we’re catching up with demand.” ~ Maximilian Schöffer, co-founder and CCO.
The company has already partnered with France’s Lohr Group and U.S.-based Parallel Systems, founded by former SpaceX engineers, to integrate its software in both new and retrofit rail vehicles. Certification is targeted for 2027, with mass deployment expected from 2028.
“Operators can run more trains, more often, at lower cost. That is a complete game-changer” ~ Maximilian Schöffer.
Futurail’s stack, FUTURAILDriver, runs entirely onboard using off-the-shelf sensors and can be retrofitted to existing fleets, a critical factor given trains’ 40-year lifespans. Beyond depots, the company plans to expand to rural branch lines before tackling complex mainline routes.
With €5.5 million in seed capital, €1 million in public grants, and €1 million from a pre-seed conversion, Futurail will expand its team, advance regulatory approvals, and deliver first deployments. Investors see in the startup a chance for Europe to lead in rail autonomy—an opportunity many believe it missed in automotive AI.
