Japan's Shinkansen bullet train will operate without a driver

Kyodo News reported on September 11 that East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will begin commercial operations of self-driving Shinkansen bullet trains on some sections of the Joetsu Shinkansen line.

Shinkansen bullet train in Tokyo

Operation with a driver on board in case of emergency will begin in fiscal 2028, and is expected to be the first high-speed train to operate without a driver.

The automated trains will travel 55.7 kilometers between Nagaoka and Niigata stations in Niigata Prefecture northwest of Tokyo. JR East aims to begin full driverless train service on the entire Joetsu Shinkansen line by the mid-2030s.

The company says the automated system will help reduce human error, improve safety and help cope with a future shortage of train drivers as Japan faces a shrinking working-age population.

At a press conference on September 10, JR East President Yoichi Kise said that self-driving technology allows the company to schedule trains more flexibly, while being able to train employees to take on a variety of jobs.

The company will operate fully automated bullet trains between Niigata Station and a nearby platform in fiscal 2029, following driverless operations to handle emergencies.

Among other bullet train operators in Japan, JR Central, which operates the Tokaido Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo and Osaka, aims to put self-driving bullet trains into operation around 2028.

JR East said it is considering expanding autonomous driving to its other bullet train services, such as the Hokuriku and Tohoku Shinkansen lines, which connect Tokyo with coastal regions and between the capital and northeastern prefectures.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tau-cao-toc-shinkansen-nhat-ban-se-hoat-dong-khong-can-nguoi-lai-185240911150044542.htm