The Anonymous Widower

Boris Talks Sense

The unions are incensed that Boris Johnson has talked of introducing driverless trains on the London Underground.

But we’ve effectively had driverless trains on the Underground ever since 1967 on the Victoria Line.  The so-called driver sits in the cab and when he’s satisfied that the doors on the train are shut, he effectively pushes a button and the train automation moves the train to the next station.

So as Boris said, everybody could drive an Underground train.  Well not exactly, but any sane person, with a strong sense of responsibility and a degree of proper training could do it. I suspect that any bus driver could do it very well, especially as now, the average London bus, is probably almost as complicated as an Underground train. Remember, I’ve seen at first hand, what it takes to drive a train.  But that was on a much more complicated line, at twice the speed and without the same degree of automation.

The unions are only delaying the inevitable day, when drivers on Underground trains, are only there for the rare times, when something goes seriously wrong. Even the announcements, when there is a problem could be done remotely from a control centre.

January 14, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | News, Transport/Travel | London Underground, Politics, Trains