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U.S. transit agencies weigh fully automated trains in D.C. and Los Angeles
The Associated Press reports Washington Metro and Los Angeles Metro are advancing plans that could run trains without an operator in the cab, while Honolulu already operates an automated line.
Based on reporting by The Boston Globe
Wire reporting: (AP, via The Boston Globe)
Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles are advancing multiyear plans that could run subway trains without an operator in the cab, while Honolulu already operates an elevated automated line, The Associated Press reported Saturday1.
Almost every U.S. mass-transit system still keeps a driver or operator on board, even as robotaxis have become more common on streets, according to the AP account1.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board backed a nearly $1 billion Red Line upgrade in April that could allow trains without a worker in the cab as early as 2033, including platform barriers, AP said, citing WMATA CEO Randy Clarke1.
Los Angeles Metro is in environmental review of a proposed automated heavy-rail line under the Santa Monica Mountains that would use shorter, more frequent trains and station-platform doors, the same report said, citing planner Cecily Way1.
Honolulu's Skyline, opened three years ago and expanded last year, is described as the largest automated transit system in the United States and is planned to reach 19 miles; project director Vance Tsuda told AP it has had no crash or injury tied to automation1.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed a 2009 collision near Fort Totten on the D.C. Red Line, which killed nine people, on a maintenance problem in automated signaling; Clarke said that crash long stalled further automation1.
Transport Workers Union international president John Samuelsen told AP unions have opposed similar efforts, citing emergency evacuation risks on third-rail systems; Clarke said workers would still be needed for maintenance and emergencies1.
AP said the projects still face financial and technical hurdles and that older U.S. automated systems include 1980s elevated lines in Detroit and Miami, a Las Vegas Strip monorail, airport people-movers, and Jacksonville's Skyway, slated to halt amid budget cuts1.
