Why are there not more auto piloted trains? [closed]

Almost all car companies try to develop and overachieve each other with better autonomous car driving systems. In planes there are auto pilots for years already, which can fly - human independently - complex routes.

What are the reasons that this doesn't seem to be such a big topic regarding to trains, even though train systems are run in a very closed, homogeneous and controlled environment, compared to cars on streets or planes in the air?

trains driving

Best Answer

There are indeed quite a number of fully automated train lines.

And very many others with highly sophisticated automatic signaling that stops short of full automation.

The main reason for not going further is that the cost is considerable to modify an entire network to enable full automation, while the benefits are minimal:

Driver's salaries are not so considerable as to make much potential savings.
The potential safety improvements have largely already been made without full automation.

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Do trains have auto pilot?

automatic driving and braking control) which enables the driver to let the on-board train computer drive the train on autopilot, automatically driving at the maximum speed currently allowed by LZB signalling. In this mode, the driver only monitors the train and watches for unexpected obstacles on the tracks.

Will train drivers be automated?

Around the world railways and light rail projects, like metros, are becoming increasingly automated or even going driverless. In 2018 the International Association of Public Transport found that 42 cities already run automated metro lines.

Do driverless trains exist?

The first fully automated driverless mass-transit rail network is the Port Island Line in Kobe, Japan. The second in the world (and the first such driverless system in Europe) is the Lille Metro in northern France.

The Trains that Killed an Airline - Italian HSR

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Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Kindel Media, Karolina Grabowska