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SNCB scraps plans for driverless trains

by editor
The national rail authority SNCB has cancelled plans to work towards employing driver-less trains at some point in the future, according to the results of a study.
The feasibility study ordered by the SNCB advises that trains running without a driver, the so-called one-man cars, is at the same time financially unattainable and technically impossible.

Driverless trains would not in any case operate without a driver; a qualified driver would in all cases be present remotely to take over control if necessary. The study showed that even in that case, all trains would need to be equipped with mirrors and cameras giving a full overview, so that the human driver could take over control at any moment. The option of instead equipping stations with cameras does not
solve the problem, as many have platforms that are either too short or curved, adding to the problem.

Even then, the study concludes, the option is not technically achievable at the current state of technology. The option of driverless trains was a legacy option for former SNB boss Jo Cornu. However his successor, Sophie Dutordoir, was never a strong supporter of the idea, and commissioned the study. For her, train drivers have a crucial role if only s a point of contact with the rail user.

The prospect of driverless trains was an aim for the future included in the latest new management contract between the government and the SNCB. That has anyway to be ratified by parliament, but in any case, the future of driverless trains appears dead and buried for the time being.

Alan Hope

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