Jan 08 (Kyodo) - Japan is stepping up efforts to expand automatic train operations to cope with a possible shortage of drivers amid its declining population, with East Japan Railway Co. conducting its latest self-driving test on Tokyo's Yamanote loop line on Monday.
In a trial run unveiled to the media for the first time, an 11-car train circled the 34.5-kilometer loop line twice -- the first without any delay, and the second requiring some adjustments by the driver because the train could not stop at the designated point.
"We are basically doing fine. We'll analyze the result and seek to put the technology in practice as soon as possible," Yuichiro Tokunaga, a JR East official in charge of the issue, said, referring to the third such self-driving test in recent weeks on the Yamanote Line, one of the busiest commuter lines in the metropolitan area.
For Monday's test, JR East used the Yamanote Line's latest E235 series train, equipped with an automatic operation device being developed by the company.
Source: ANNnewsCH
