US transit systems consider running trains without drivers

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 14:02 · Archive

Washington D.C. and Los Angeles are exploring plans for fully automated subway and transit lines.

Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles are exploring plans for completely automated transit lines, with Honolulu already operating one. Both projects would take years to implement and still face financial and technical obstacles.

The move comes amid debate over whether the substantial upfront costs of automation are worth the long-term savings in labour expenses, and over the safety implications. Supporters argue that American transit systems are behind numerous international peers, including cities in Europe, Asia, Canada, Australia, South America and the Middle East, many of which already run unattended subways, metros or buses.

Baruch Feigenbaum of the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank that advocates for transit automation, argued that rail automation should be easier than automating road vehicles. 'It should be much harder to automate something that's on-road, that has all of these various obstacles coming at it, compared to a fixed-rail system,' he said. He added that 'basically the transit world is where innovation goes to die.' The Washington Metro opened 50 years ago with some automated features, though operators have always been required on board.

How it is being reported

• Some US transit systems weigh whether to run trains without a human at the controlsAs automated vehicles such as robotaxis become more common on American streets, transit systems are debating whether to go driverless as well.News4Jax · 24 Oct, 13:37
• Some US transit systems weigh whether to run trains without a human at the controlsAs automated vehicles such as robotaxis become more common on American streets, transit systems are debating whether to go driverless as well.Clickorlando · 24 Oct, 13:37

In this story: Washington, D.C. · Los Angeles · Honolulu · Reason Foundation · Baruch Feigenbaum · Waymo · Tesla · Zoox

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