For the first time ever, public transport services in Switzerland are now being run on autopilot. Officials from the Südostbahn (SOB) confirmed that autonomous trains were now running on one of its lines.
In comments given to SRF, the SOB confirmed that trains running between Arth-Goldau and Biberbrugg, Canton Schwyz, are now self-driving. It is officially the first autonomous train to run regularly scheduled services in Switzerland.
The autopilot is able to accelerate and regulate the train's speed, react to signals and apply the brakes automatically. The system took six years to be trialled and approved by the government, and will be tested in all weather and conditions for a year before (if all goes well) being permanently implemented across the SOB network.
For passengers wary of entrusting their safety to new technology, SOB project manager Roger Dällenbach assured that the system will not take the human out of the cab. "The locomotive crew must still monitor the route and be able to intervene in the event of disruptions," and still initiate the start procedure for the train at stations, he explained. In addition, if there is a technical fault, the driver can take over full control.
With the SOB assuring train drivers that they will not lose their jobs thanks to the new technology, what exactly is the system for? Dällenbach explained that the autopilot will allow them to save energy, as it knows the perfect time to brake and accelerate en route. As the system will try to run the route as perfectly as possible, they also hope the autopilot will reduce delays.
The new train is the first of many projects designed to make Swiss transport more autonomous: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is currently trialling a series of autonomous taxis in Canton Zurich, while Zurich Airport is set to introduce an autonomous bus to help its workers travel across the site.