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London Unveils New Driverless Subway Trains

Posted by samzenpus on from the running-on-time dept.

MikeChino writes London just unveiled its next-generation subway trains — and they're sleek, 100% automated, and WiFi-equipped. UK-based design studio Priestmangoode teamed up with Transport for London to develop the trains over a period of 3 years, and they feature open and airy interiors inspired by aviation design.

19 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We had those (except wifi) in our city (Torino, little more than 800k people in northen Italy) for the last 8 years. Where is the news?

    1. Re:Well... by __Reason__ · · Score: 5, Informative

      The news is that London is getting them. Did you RTF title?

      Driverless trains have existed in London for many years, too. For example on the DLR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D...

      Several lines of the London Underground already use Automatic Train Operation (ATO), where the train is fully controlled by software under normal conditions. There is still a "Driver", but all they do is operate the doors, make passenger announcements, and are ready to take over in the case of an emergency or a system failure.

      In fact, the Victoria line has used ATO since it opened in the 1960s, and was the world's first major metro/subway line to do so.

    2. Re:Well... by operator_error · · Score: 4, Informative

      I RTFA, and London isn't getting them until 2020. And that does *not* include the Northern (i.e. Misery) Line. Progressive? More like, its about %$#@! time.

    3. Re:Well... by operator_error · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Have you any idea what percentage of the Tube's budget is allocated just to keep the underground from flooding; a rather large unseen yet vital issue? Have you any idea what percentage of the UK's GDP might be affected by such a breach in the underground transport system?

      I believe at least 1/3 of the budget is used for flood control, although I welcome fact checkers' efforts.

      Last I heard, 16% of the UK's GDP was the financial sector of London.

  2. I've been wondering why this took so long by Vlado · · Score: 4, Informative

    Driverless subways exits in other cities for a while now. And this is definitely one of those things, where you can automate a lot out of a system.

    1. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by lisaparratt · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unions. The DLR has been automated for decades.

    2. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by RogueyWon · · Score: 5, Informative

      London also has driverless trains on its (more recent) Docklands Light Railway.

      The reason it's news when driverless trains head to the Tube is nothing to do with technology and everything to do with industrial relations. London's Tube Drivers are extremely militant - it's normal to have a couple of strikes per year (sometimes over "normal" industrial disputes like pay, sometimes because, I suspect, they just want to remind people they can do it).

      The current Mayor, who has been in post for around 6 years now and who is, to put it mildly, no friend of the unions, has been making threats about automation on and off ever since he was first elected. It's a dangerous game to play, because even the mention of automation is sometimes enough to trigger strikes - you can get rid of the drivers eventually (though probably keeping - lower paid - train attendants), but they can cause you a hell of a lot of pain during the transition.

    3. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by cardpuncher · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Victoria Line has had automated train operation since it opened in 1968. All the driver does is push a button at each station to close the doors.

      It's not really a matter of technology.

      There is a safety issue in that there are no escape routes other than the unilluminated and electrified track meaning you'd need some on-board staff member to ensure that people could be safely evacuated in the event of an emergency.

    4. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by pr0nbot · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The Economist this week has a special report about how automation is going to make a lot of us unemployed, possibly in more permanent ways than previous industrial revolutions:

      http://www.economist.com/news/...

    5. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by _Shad0w_ · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Victoria, Central, Jubilee, and Northern lines all use semi-automation. It wasn't uncommon to see the driver stood up in the middle of the cab when it pulled in to a station, when I used the central line regularly; the train stops itself. I've been on a couple where it's overshot the end of the platform and they've had to skip the station and continue to the next (reversing a tube train means the driver has to get out and go to the other end - it delays the service too much, so they just won't do it).

      --

      Yeah, I had a sig once; I got bored of it.

    6. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by oneandoneis2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You think so?

      As a Londoner, I've yet to encounter anyone who supported the Tube strikes: Everyone I know considers it near-criminal extortion and loves the notion of trains that aren't subject to strikes by drivers who are insanely over-paid already. The DLR has had them for years and nobody bats an eye.

      What makes you think people need to be bribed with Wifi to get driverless trains into use?

      --
      So.. it has come to this
    7. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by pr0nbot · · Score: 4, Informative

      The point of the Economist article is that whereas previous technological shifts resulted in more but different low-skilled jobs, the current technological shift is likely to result in fewer, high-skilled jobs.

    8. Re:I've been wondering why this took so long by itzly · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sounds like a good plan. We'll be able to enjoy our free time, while our robots do all the nasty work.

  3. Unions upset by Richard_at_work · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And on the day of unveiling, the immediate comment from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union was "we don't like driverless trains". Why? Because the drivers are members of that union. Nuff said really.

    Driverless trains have worked fine on the Docklands Light Railway for years, about time we switched the tube over.

  4. Aerodynamic design? by Jack+Malmostoso · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm not an engineer, but I always wondered why trains tend to be designed like a wall. Only high-speed trains are actually wedge shaped to be aerodynamic.

    I would imagine that a subway train, acting like a "piston" would work better if it were more aerodynamic and not have to overcome a lot of pressure within the tunnel.

    Can anyone explain the reasons behind this design?

    1. Re:Aerodynamic design? by itzly · · Score: 4, Informative

      In a narrow tunnel, the train is going to act like a piston no matter what the front shape is like.

    2. Re:Aerodynamic design? by bluegutang · · Score: 3, Informative

      Because it's a higher priority to maximize the volume of the train car (i.e. more passengers), and to make the cars easily attachable to each other, than it is to slightly increase the aerodynamic efficiency of a relatively low-speed vehicle.

  5. Aerodynamic design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They are piston shaped on purpose, they actually are the main way to cause ventilation of air in/out of the underground.

  6. Re:Looks good by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly you don't live in Britain, otherwise you'd understand how polite and accommodating we are.

    If there are no seats, ask a fellow passenger if you can sit on their lap. They'll usually oblige, unless they have a very good reason.

    Try it the next time you visit.

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