JR East shows off autonomous bullet train to media

Niigata – East Japan Railway Co. on Wednesday invited the media to observe a test run of an autonomous bullet train in Niigata Prefecture as it eyes introducing trains without drivers in the future amid a labor shortage. During the test, conducted in the early hours of Wednesday, the 12-car bullet train ran without any manual intervention after a driver switched it to automatic mode. The E7-series train was piloted remotely from a control center. It was the first test in Japan of the autonomous operation of a bullet train already in commercial service. While the eventual goal is driverless trains, several drivers and other staff members were aboard the train during Wednesday's test to respond to any emergencies.