Tokyo's Yamanote Line to test automated trains with passengers from October

Runaway train

The move is part of measures to stem a possible shortage of drivers amid the nation's shrinking population.

Nonsense, It takes 2 drivers to run the yamanote line. If you pay them correctly then people will always want to do this as a career. This is cost cutting, pure and simple.

East Japan Railway Co (JR East) said Tuesday it will carry out test runs of automated trains with passengers aboard on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line for two months starting around October.

Other countries already have fully automated trains. The only thing preventing this with JR is tradition and inertia.

Like with the legions of middle aged man paid to stand around with batons in Japan, with automation it may be necessary to have many such make work jobs for the populace in the future for appearances sake.

That or a UBI.

what could possibly go wrong!

So the price won’t decrease when expenses do, right?

If it is implemented 'properly' by a human, nothing can go wrong. We are not talking about autonomous decision making here, we are talking about programmed execution. Japan faces a severe labour/skills shortage, so this seems like a logical move.

My only concerns, automated 'programmed robot' drivers don't pay tax, the LDP isn't going to like it at all.

I can hear the complaints now.

Good news!

So the price won’t decrease when expenses do, right?

Nope. Unless hell freezes over.

drivers simply push a button to speed up the train to depart.

so there will be machines in control human drivers, who just push one button?

I do not see any real merit in it. Just that machines are going to make human beings jobless and poor forever.

...meaning drivers will manually operate services only in emergencies.

So they'll still need drivers, and therefore some degree of driver training!

So the price won’t decrease when expenses do, right?

You don't see them raising prices when ridership fell during covid, as long as it isn't increasing then businesses should always use innovation to raise their productivity/profits. JR is not a non profit business.

Other countries already have fully automated trains

No such thing as fully automated.

Fully automated but run by or remotely operated by a human.

Quasi-automated would be more accurate.

The Yurikamome Line in Tokyo was designed to be driverless from the start and the only accident I can recall was in 2006 when a wheel came off; nobody was hurt. A similar train in Yokohama had an accident a few years ago when it started in the wrong direction and hurt a few people.

If the software is good and the safety devices work then driverless trains work well.

pointless.greed.

as simple as is.

dont need to say more.

Very good to automate this!!

What every one forgets is the people that jump infront of the trains .. the drive will have many problem with these even for the rest of his live !! So if these jobs , driving a killing train can be automated it will give poeple more value in life ..

The move is part of measures to stem a possible shortage of drivers amid the nation's shrinking population.

Train companies are just plain greedy!

I avoid trains for long journeys as Indo not want to be standing all the time…

Great, Japan moving forwrd to the future..

I can hear the complaints now.

Whining so fast.. lol..

It seems a bit scary until you consider the possibility of somebody who's controlling the train and texting both at the same time.

A positive step to automation, given Japan’s declining birth rate. I’m working on a prototype automated salaryman that will robotically commute to work on the train just to speed up efficiency even further

A positive step to automation

I ain't boarding this train, cause I saw how automated self check out cashiers work here.

The move is part of measures to stem a possible shortage of drivers amid the nation's shrinking population

I guess there won't be riders either by this logic.

I somehow don't think the technology isn't here already, most of the fail safes are built into the system already and there's plenty of stories of operators falling asleep or not doing their job with next to no operational consequences.

I guess it is phased in relatively slowly, and they aren't literally getting rid of the operators so I wouldn't fault them.

The Yurikamome trains to Odaiba have been fully automated for many years. They don't have any operator on board and it hasn't been a problem.

I can hear the complaints now.

Whining so fast.. lol..

case in point. LOL

The article say that will carry out test runs of automated trains with passengers aboard on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line for two months starting around October.

I disagree this opinion.

I have two reasons.

First about machine

Automated trains are controlled by machine. If accident happened about machine the train might not controlled. Then it dangerous for passengers.

Second about employment.

In the future if this system more widespread and introduced it may occur the number of train driver decreasing .　Then the company may stop employed train crow and the number of people who lost their profession are increasing .That may become social issues.

For these reasons I disagree this article.

It's scarely!

I do not want to take an automatic train.

This is because I don't think automatic operation can respond quickly to sudden events.

In my opinion, manual operation reacts more quickly to sudden events than automatic operation.

People will actively choice for manually operated trains.

Also, think there are some things that can only be understood if a human being actually drives the train.

For example, you cannot tell how well the gas pedal and brakes are working without actually driving the train.

It is very scary to ride on a train where you don't know how the gas pedal or brakes work!

I am of the opinion that automated driving may have such dangers.