China is set to launch the world's first driverless bullet trains which will run at speeds of up to 350 kmph, local media reports say. The trains will be deployed on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway line.
"The bullet train can automatically depart, operate between stations and adjust the train's operation to meet its precise timetable after a single button is pressed," a researcher from China Academy of Railway Sciences told the Sciences and Technology Daily.
Trials of these bullet trains took place last year. The China Rail Corporation (CRC) carried out the trials on a section of Beijing-Shenyang line in 2018.
Trains with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) technology were rolled out on two intercity lines in the Pearl River Delta region. These trains run at a maximum speed of 200 kmph. The new Fuxing trains can travel up to 350 kmph.
Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is expected to increasingly replace human drivers in China. Experts say this will improve safety in the long term.
"An automatic driving system could greatly improve the safety of trains which run on high-speed railway lines, compared with human drivers who may have sudden health problems or disregard safety precautions during driving," Sun Zhang, a railway expert, and a professor at the Shanghai Tongji University told the Global Times.
However, an attendant will be deployed in these trains for first 10 years to ensure nothing goes wrong. The trains will then be fully driverless.
The Beijing-Zhangjiakou line, otherwise known as the Jing-Zhang line, is a new railway line currently being constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, to enable easy travel between Beijing and the Winter Olympics village in 50 minutes.
