East Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company announced technical cooperation in automatic operation of Shinkansen bullet trains.
The two companies have been working toward the introduction of automated operations in order to maintain efficient and sustainable railroad management and to realize safer and more convenient transportation services in a changing social environment with a declining birthrate, aging population, and changes in work styles.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in April 2023, and the two companies will study and develop a system to reduce system development and costs based on the E7/W7 series of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which will operate directly with each other.
JR East will continue to develop ATO (Automatic Train Operation) equipment, aiming for driverless operation of the Joetsu Shinkansen’s GoA4 trains between Niigata Station and Niigata Shinkansen Sharyo Center by the end of the 2020s and GoA3 commercial trains between Tokyo Station and Niigata Station by the mid-2030s.
In addition, JR West has been conducting verification tests on automatic operation functions, such as vehicle control systems, at the Hakusan General Rolling Stock Yard site of the Hokuriku Shinkansen since FY2022.
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