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.
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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.
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.
The world's longest driverless metro in Dubai has begun operating under a new a 15-year contract awarded by the emirate's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).
The opening of the Pujiang Line in Shanghai, China helped achieved this milestone, and today there are 63 fully automated operation (FAO) lines in 42 cities across 19 countries in the world.
JR East has announced that it will introduce driverless Shinkansen in Japan by the mid-2030s. JR Tokai could launch self-driving bullet trains even earlier, by 2028.
Most trains on the New York City Subway are manually operated. As of 2022, the system currently uses Automatic Block Signaling, with fixed wayside signals and automatic train stops. Many portions of the signaling system were installed between the 1930s and 1960s.
The idea of driverless trains has been much debated. The Treasury even linked financial support for Transport for London to progress toward automation. New trains designed by Siemens and scheduled to be introduced from 2025 will have fully driverless capability.
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.
The first automated metro line in the European Union was launched in the French city of Lille in 1983. Initially, it consisted of 12 stations. Since that time, Lille Metro has been developed significantly. Now, it includes two fully automated lines with 60 stations.
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.
Vancouver's SkyTrain: world's longest FOAThe system's name is derived from the panoramic views of the metropolitan area that can be seen from the train, which runs on elevated guideways outside Downtown Vancouver.
The Shanghai Metro is the world's longest metro network at 803 kilometres (499 mi) and has the highest annual ridership at 2.83 billion trips. The New York City Subway has the greatest number of stations with 472. As of 2023, the country with the most metro systems is China, with 45 in operation.