JR East to operate self-driving bullet trains on some sections in FY2028

JR East said it will start operating self-driving bullet trains on some of the sections of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line for commercial service in fiscal 2028 with a driver aboard to deal with emergencies, in what could be the world's first such high-speed train service.

The autonomous trains will run 55.7 kilometers between Nagaoka and Niigata stations, both in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, and JR East aims to begin completely driverless services on all sections of the Joetsu Shinkansen Line in the mid-2030s.

The railway company has said the automated system will reduce human errors, improve safety and help tackle an expected future shortage of drivers amid a shrinking working-age population.

JR East President Yoichi Kise said that the self-driving technology allows the company to plan train schedules more flexibly while enabling its "train staff members to engage in a wider range of tasks."

The company will run fully autonomous out-of-service bullet trains between Niigata Station and its nearby rail yard in fiscal 2029, following self-driving operations with a driver for emergencies.

Among other bullet train operators in Japan, JR Central, the operator of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Osaka, has said it aims to introduce self-driving bullet trains around 2028.

JR East said it is considering expanding self-driving operations to its other bullet train services, such as the Hokuriku and Tohoku Shinkansen lines, connecting between Tokyo and the Sea of Japan coastal areas and between the capital and the country's northeastern prefectures, respectively.