Fully automated trains have been around a surprisingly long time – the first opened in Kobe, Japan, in 1981, and they now operate in over 40 cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, and London.
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Driverless trains have been in operation on the Docklands Light Railway since it opened in 1987, though a train attendant is present to operate the doors and drive the train if needed.
All London Underground trains are currently either operated manually (when a train driver controls starting and stopping, the operation of doors and handling of emergencies) or in semi-automatic mode (when starting and stopping is automated, but a driver operates the doors and drives the train if needed).
While automated trains only comprise a relatively small fraction of the world's total transit systems, the percentage is growing as more urban and regional authorities realize the advantages. Driverless trains reduce the chance of human error while improving rail efficiency and safety.
While full driverless autonomy is certainly technically possible, and is applied on various routes worldwide, it still accounts for only a tiny percentage of trains running today. New trains are still being designed and built with fully equipped driver cabins.
Ghost trains – also known as parliamentary trains – date back to the 1960s and are services that run over a line – or stop at a station – so infrequently that they often go unnoticed.
Due to the huge cost of running a maglev over very long distances, the hovering trains have been ruled out for the planned HS2 line connecting Manchester with London and Birmingham by 2033.
Here are some illustrative examples: One of the main difficulties lies in the complex interaction of the various subsystems when the train is running: monitoring the status of the railway track, the position of other trains and the physical integrity of the train, and determining the space required to brake safely.
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a driverless train network that serves parts of east and south-east London. These trains have interchanges with the London Underground at some major Tube stations, including Bank, Tower Gateway (Tower Hill) and Canary Wharf.
Each car has four doors on each side, and two or three cars make up a train. There are no cabs because normal operations are automated, and a small driver's console is concealed behind a locked panel at each end, from which the Passenger Service Assistant (PSA) can drive the car if required.
The driverless Shinkansen tests have so far taken place on the northernmost section of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line, which is not used by commercial traffic. This 5km-long section runs from Niigata station to the stock depot at Higashi-Niigata.
HS2 passengers will travel in the first driverless trains on a British cross-country mainline under specifications given to manufacturers by ministers, The Telegraph can disclose.
The maximum speed currently possible in the UK is 186mph, achieved by Eurostar trains on the HS1 line between London and the Channel Tunnel. The HS1 line is used by Eurostar services and Javelin commuter services from Kent, although the latter have a max speed of 140mph.