Originally Posted by
Lord Farringdon
Anyone ever considered why we don't have driverless trains?
Oh but we do. For trains, Fully Automated Operations (FAO) have been the reality since Kobe New Transit in Japan achieved Grade of Automation 4 -- the highest possible -- way back in 1981.
FAO trains have no drivers at all. Human attendants (if present) are mainly for customer service. Many of these trains operate 24/7 as part of the most complex systems in the world (typically large city metro / commuter light rails) and achieve the absolute highest safety records.
A prime example is the Copenhagen Metro, which was designed to be fully automated from day 1. At peak the Metro carries 12,000 passengers
per hour. It was awarded the World's Best Metro for three years in a row (2009-2011).
In fact if you visit Airbus in Toulouse you might notice that all of the metro trains in the city are fully automated. Today FAO GoA 4 trains operate in
40+ cities / 20 countries around the world, including the Sydney Metro Northwest line that just opened last month.