France Looking Into Building Autonomous High-Speed Trains

With there being multiple choices when it comes to public transportation, sometimes there is usually more than one way you can get to your destination. One of those methods is trains which is a pretty common method of transportation in countries around the world, but over in France, the country wants to upgrade their existing systems.

In a report from FranceInfo (via Engadget), it has been reported that the country’s state-owned railway company SNCF is planning on deploying autonomous high-speed trains that will operate along its TGV lines by 2023. Initial trials are expected to begin some time in 2019, which means that there’s still quite a bit of waiting to do.

These autonomous trains will rely on a host of external sensors that will be used to automate braking when obstacles are detected on the tracks. SNCF is also hoping that with the use of autonomous trains, more tedious tasks such as hooking up various cars before departure can be done so more efficiently.

It is also said that with these autonomous trains, the time in between trains could even be cut down from 180 seconds to 108 seconds, which is pretty impressive. In France, the country’s subways in Paris are already automated, but as the adjoint director of the SNCF, Matthieu Chabanel told FranceInfo, it’s a different story when dealing with an open environment where other factors like trees, animals, and people have to be accounted for.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: trains