Will trains go driverless?

Levels of autonomous trains 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.



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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.

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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.

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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.

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Compared to other popular forms of travel, such as cars, ships, buses, and planes, trains are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States.

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Trains are more spaced apart In addition, trains are typically spaced much further apart than other modes of transportation, such as cars and buses, which makes it less likely for accidents to occur.

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Property rights. One of the most expensive parts of building new rail lines these days is securing land along a relatively straight path (you can't run trains at high speeds along too sharp a curve). The U.S. has strong property rights which makes securing land exceedingly expensive.

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Trains are three times more dangerous than flying but safer than traveling by car (which is 40 times more risky than flying), according to Savage. Yet many folks are still clearly afraid to fly.

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  1. Airplane Safety. Airplanes are by far the safest mode of transportation when the number of transported passengers are measured against personal injuries and fatality totals, even though all plane crashes generally receive some form of media attention. ...
  2. Train Safety. ...
  3. Bus Travel. ...
  4. Boat Travel.


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