The bullet train in Japan takes the leap: Driverless trains

In the West, we always see Japan as an advanced, magical, and mysterious country. Whatever they do there, we see as progress. They have earned a good reputation over the years and have a lot of credit. No wonder some of the best technology companies are Japanese.

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Today’s news will surely raise some eyebrows. Each time technology takes away our jobs, it’s normal to frown and wonder if it is really necessary. In this case, we are talking about replacing the train engineers of the world’s fastest train (called Shinkansen) with machines. The problem is that engineers have a 60-year history without accidents or serious incidents.

On Tuesday, one of Japan’s main passenger train operators announced plans to introduce fully automated bullet trains by the mid-2030s. The decision is attributed to the declining population and reforms in the working style.

Advantages of the robot over the train conductor

JR East railway guarantees several advantages of autonomous operation, such as increased safety and stability in transportation, energy savings through operational efficiency, greater flexibility to meet demand, and the ability to reassign employees to other tasks.

The Shinkansen, the high-speed trains in Japan often described as bullet trains, connect the main cities of the country at speeds of up to 320 km/h. The Spanish high-speed train (AVE) reaches similar speeds.

These elegant trains and the 2,700 km of tracks that transport them are a symbol of Japan’s technological ingenuity and engineering, which includes earthquake detection systems and advanced braking. In addition, they have been operating for 60 years without accidents.

Travelers will have to wait about ten years to travel without a driver, as on the first line, the Joetsu line, there will still be personnel on board. However, they will be able to experience elements of automated bullet trains before that, as JR East will proceed with the modernization in stages.

In March 2029, travel between Nagaoka and Niigata stations will be done autonomously, but still with the supervision of a driver. The following year, trains in certain sections will no longer be crewed when they are out of service.

Fully automated bullet trains are just one of the many ways Japan is turning to technology to mitigate the effects of its declining population.