Robo-Shinkansen rolls slowly – for now – across 5km of Japan
(2021/11/19)
- Reference: 1637297652
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/11/19/autonomous_shinkansen_trial/
- Source link:
Japan's largest train operator, the East Japan Railway Company, has successfully trialled an autonomous bullet train.
The Wednesday test run was short – travelling just under five kilometres down the Joetsu line from Niigata Station. Nor did the train reach top speed of 300km/h, maxing out at 110km/h.
But the train did come to a complete stop just 7.5cm from its intended stopping point – a result the railway deemed very promising, given the Shinkansen has a 50cm stopping zone.
[1]
East Japan conducted the test under its [2]"Move UP 2027" plan that identifies self-driving cars as a threat to demand for rail transport. "Since our railway business has large fixed costs, we face a high risk of a drastic profit loss", states a [3]vision document [PDF] that describes the plan.
[4]
Japanese media report the autonomous Shinkansen trial was also staged with a view to a time when Japan's ageing and shrinking population makes recruiting train drivers harder.
[5]Japan's bullet trains replace smoking rooms with Zooming rooms
[6]Japan on track to start testing Alfa-X, fastest train in the world with top speed of 400kph
[7]Northern Train's ticketing system out to lunch as ransomware attack shuts down servers
Future tests will accelerate the Shinkansen to 200km/h. The trains will be autonomous, but staff aboard the vehicle will have sufficient skill to intervene if needed. Those workers will not, however, be fully trained Shinkansen drivers – a reflection of the Railway Company's confidence in its automation and recognition of difficulty recruiting and training drivers.
How – or whether – the wider rail network will cope with robo-trains wasn't discussed. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YZcvfMQql4kFY50RJouzEQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/investor/moveup/index.html
[3] https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/investor/moveup/pdf/all.pdf
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YZcvfMQql4kFY50RJouzEQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/27/central_japan_railway_company_s_work_vehicle/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2019/05/13/japan_alfa_x_bullet_train/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/20/northern_trains_ticketing_system/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The Wednesday test run was short – travelling just under five kilometres down the Joetsu line from Niigata Station. Nor did the train reach top speed of 300km/h, maxing out at 110km/h.
But the train did come to a complete stop just 7.5cm from its intended stopping point – a result the railway deemed very promising, given the Shinkansen has a 50cm stopping zone.
[1]
East Japan conducted the test under its [2]"Move UP 2027" plan that identifies self-driving cars as a threat to demand for rail transport. "Since our railway business has large fixed costs, we face a high risk of a drastic profit loss", states a [3]vision document [PDF] that describes the plan.
[4]
Japanese media report the autonomous Shinkansen trial was also staged with a view to a time when Japan's ageing and shrinking population makes recruiting train drivers harder.
[5]Japan's bullet trains replace smoking rooms with Zooming rooms
[6]Japan on track to start testing Alfa-X, fastest train in the world with top speed of 400kph
[7]Northern Train's ticketing system out to lunch as ransomware attack shuts down servers
Future tests will accelerate the Shinkansen to 200km/h. The trains will be autonomous, but staff aboard the vehicle will have sufficient skill to intervene if needed. Those workers will not, however, be fully trained Shinkansen drivers – a reflection of the Railway Company's confidence in its automation and recognition of difficulty recruiting and training drivers.
How – or whether – the wider rail network will cope with robo-trains wasn't discussed. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YZcvfMQql4kFY50RJouzEQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/investor/moveup/index.html
[3] https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/investor/moveup/pdf/all.pdf
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YZcvfMQql4kFY50RJouzEQAAAMc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/27/central_japan_railway_company_s_work_vehicle/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2019/05/13/japan_alfa_x_bullet_train/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/20/northern_trains_ticketing_system/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/