Tech JR East to launch driverless Shinkansen trains by 2028

[thomas]

JR East announced on Tuesday that it plans to start operating self-driving bullet trains on portions of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line by fiscal year 2028. Initially, these trains will have a driver on board to handle emergencies, but the goal is to achieve fully driverless operation on all sections of the line by the mid-2030s. The autonomous trains will run 55.7 kilometres between Nagaoka and Niigata stations in Niigata Prefecture. JR East believes the automated system will improve safety, reduce human errors, and help address the anticipated driver shortage.

JR East President Yoichi Kise said at a press conference that the self-driving technology allows the company to plan train schedules more flexibly while enabling its "train staff members to engage in a wider range of tasks." The company will run fully autonomous out-of-service bullet trains between Niigata Station and its nearby rail yard in fiscal 2029, following self-driving operations with a driver for emergencies. Among other bullet train operators in Japan, JR Central, the operator of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Osaka, has said it aims to introduce self-driving bullet trains around 2028.

JR East plans to introduce automated trains on Shinkansen line in fiscal 2028 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

East Japan Railway, or JR East, says it plans to start using automated trains on a section of one of its Shinkansen bullet train lines in fiscal 2028, but it notes that drivers will be onboard to oversee operations.

www3.nhk.or.jp

JR East to run self-driving bullet trains on some sections in FY 2028 - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- JR East said Tuesday it will start operating self-driving bullet trains on some of the sections of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line for com

mainichi.jp

 

[mdchachi]

JR East announced on Tuesday that it plans to start operating self-driving bullet trains on portions of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line by fiscal year 2028. Initially, these trains will have a driver on board to handle emergencies, but the goal is to achieve fully driverless operation on all sections of the line by the mid-2030s. The autonomous trains will run 55.7 kilometres between Nagaoka and Niigata stations in Niigata Prefecture. JR East believes the automated system will improve safety, reduce human errors, and help address the anticipated driver shortage.

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JR East plans to introduce automated trains on Shinkansen line in fiscal 2028 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

East Japan Railway, or JR East, says it plans to start using automated trains on a section of one of its Shinkansen bullet train lines in fiscal 2028, but it notes that drivers will be onboard to oversee operations.

www3.nhk.or.jp

JR East to run self-driving bullet trains on some sections in FY 2028 - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- JR East said Tuesday it will start operating self-driving bullet trains on some of the sections of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line for com

mainichi.jp

Hopefully it will still have a conductor to ensure the doors are closed fully and peoples clothes aren't stuck in the doors while they are still outside the train.