Tech JR East to introduce driverless bullet trains in 2030s

thomas · 10 May 2023

JR East will introduce largely automated bullet trains in the mid-2030s under plans announced yesterday, a labour-saving measure that would be a first for the company. The company aims to achieve Grade of Automation 3 (GoA3) -- a level at which the train can drive itself, with a human handling the doors and taking over in emergencies. The rollout will start on the Tokyo-Niigata line.

Photo credit: Kyodo

The driverless trains will first be used on the Joetsu Shinkansen line between Tokyo and the central Japanese city of Niigata. JR East is considering rolling them out on its Hokuriku line as well. Before the technology enters commercial use, the company plans to trial GoA4, or fully unattended, trains on runs without passengers between the Niigata end of the Joetsu line and the nearby rolling stock centre. [...] The shinkansen is programmed to stop within 50 cm of a programmed resting point. The train hit its mark in that range during three round trips, including stopping within 8 cm (3.1 inches) of the marker at one point.

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