 |
 |
The Glasgow Underground is also automatic. The driver opens and closes the doors and presumably eases psychological fears. Roger Mackett wrote: > At 12:12 02/12/98 -0500, Sarah Massey wrote: > >Dear Colleagues, > > > >This is a very interesting discussion. MTA New York City Transit has > recently implemented One >Person Train Operation (OPTO) on a few of its > subway lines in the face of political and community >opposition. etc etc > > On the subject of driverless trains, I can confirm that on the Docklands > Light Railway (DLR) the train captain closes the doors and tells the > computer that the train is ready to leave and the computer takes over. What > is, perhaps, less well known is that the Victoria Line on the Underground > was designed to be driverless, back in the 1960s when it was opened but > that the operators felt that the public would be uneasy about riding on a > driverless train, so a driver sits at the front, but has almost nothing to > do. What I find curious is that I have never heard any fear express about > riding on the DLR because it is driverless. It may be that the presence of > the train captain provides the necessary reassurance to the public or maybe > the public does not actually have this fear. > > I have discussed with people developing light rail systems in the UK > whether they are interested in driverless systems and their views tend to > be that if you are going to have a member of staff on the vehicle he or she > might as well be driving it, that the extra cost imposed by the technology > is not worth it and, of course, the system has to be segregated from the > public, so you will be putting up barriers which are likely to reduce > patronage. These arguments do not apply in the same way to a metro because > that will be segregated, and the security problems may be worse, so that > you need a person to ride in the train. > > Roger Mackett > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Professor Roger Mackett > Head of Transport Studies > Centre for Transport Studies > University College London > Gower Street > London > WC1E 6BT > Great Britain > > Tel: (+44) (0) 171 391 1554 > Fax: (+44) (0) 171 391 1567 > e-mail: [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%