Switzerland's rail operator tests remotely-operated trains
Swiss federal railways SBB has been testing an Alstom-made remote-controlled locomotive, which it said could be used to guide a malfunctioning train to safety.
The test runs were done during regular operations during February and March, SBB said, with the aim of assessing whether the system could be useful in short journeys for maintenance work or for shuttling between construction sites.
The trials saw 24 train drivers in Oerlikon practice as "remote operators" by using an Alstom control panel to steer a locomotive located in Zurich Mülligen.
As a precaution, SBB put a conductor and supervisor on the remotely-controlled carriage, with the pair able to stop the train if necessary.
Swiss rail travel is not about to get a bit more hands-off, however, as SBB said it is not planning to introduce anything like autonomous passenger trains, despite the recent remote-control tests.
The statement could perhaps come as a relief to passengers looking out carriage windows at soaring peaks and winding Alpine tunnels - and particularly when gazing down vertiginous stretches such as from atop the Landwasser Viaduct.
SBB said it was "one of the first" operators in Europe to try out remotely-operated trains, which Prague city officials have said they plan to invest heavily in, while French rail transport firm Alstom is "championing the push towards automated train operation from metro to heavy rail solutions."
A railway worker was killed in September 2023 after being hit by a remote-control or autonomous train in Ohio in the US, where the technology has been allowed since 2005.
