The East Japan Railway Company, or JR East, says it plans to start using automated trains on a section of one of its Shinkansen bullet train lines in fiscal 2028, but it notes that drivers will be onboard to oversee operations.
JR East President Kise Yoichi spoke at a news conference on Tuesday. He said the company wants to use automated trains between the Niigata and Nagaoka stations on the Joetsu Shinkansen line in fiscal 2028. He also said that a driver will remain on the trains.
The company plans to expand the number of sections using automated trains. It wants to employ driverless trains between the Tokyo and Niigata stations on the Joetsu Shinkansen line around the mid-2030s.
It adds that officials will be onboard driverless trains to guide passengers in emergencies and to carry out other tasks.
The company says it is pressing ahead with the plan mainly because of concerns about a future shortage of drivers, due to the declining birthrate and the aging population in Japan. It says it also wants to start using automated trains on the Hokuriku and Tohoku Shinkansen lines.
Kise said the company hopes to alter the ways in which employees work by introducing a wide range of technologies and changing operations at railway businesses.