By AYATERU HOSOZAWA/ Staff Writer
September 11, 2024 at 17:09 JST
East Japan Railway Co. plans to develop driverless operation technologies based on the E7 Series bullet trains on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line. (Provided by East Japan Railway Co.)
East Japan Railway Co. announced plans to introduce an automatic transportation system, which automatically controls bullet trains from start to stop, to a section of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line in fiscal 2028.
The company is aiming to achieve driverless operation on the entire line between Tokyo and Niigata in the mid-2030s.
The automatic system will be used on a 61-kilometer stretch between Nagaoka Station and the Niigata Shinkansen Rolling Stock Center, both in Niigata Prefecture, JR East said Sept. 10.
The company will operate both commercial trains and out-of-service detour trains sent to the rail yard based on the automatic train operation (ATO) system, which is used on some subway systems.
JR East also said it plans to operate detour bullet trains without an onboard driver on a 5-km section between Niigata Station and the rolling stock center in fiscal 2029.
Trains will be equipped with a system that automatically stops them when abnormal vibrations are detected during operation.
The company also said it hopes to introduce driverless operations on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line and the Tohoku Shinkansen Line in the future.
Central Japan Railway Co. is aiming to introduce automatic operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line around 2028.
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