{"id":45270,"date":"2025-11-19T21:05:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/45270\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T21:05:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:05:08","slug":"is-a-fully-automated-train-on-its-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/45270\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a fully automated train on its horizon?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A NYC urban planning research group published a study<\/a> about train operation, calling on the MTA to make a driverless system for its planned Interborough Express (IBX)<\/a> rail line through Brooklyn and Queens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As part of its study, NYU\u2019s Marron Institute of Urban Management reviewed more than 400 trains in dozens of countries and found that fewer than 6.25% of the systems have two staffers on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the researchers, who have written extensively about IBX land-use topics, are specifically advocating for MTA\u2019s most anticipated projects to be built as a fully automated system, eliminating the need for on-board staff, including train operators, to optimize the light-rail\u2019s speed and efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdeally, IBX will be fully automated when it opens so that it can operate the most robust service possible,\u201d researchers wrote in the study.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Eric Goldwyn is a program director and clinical assistant professor at Marron who contributed to the Nov. 13 study. He told amNew York that the IBX should \u201cabsolutely\u201d be automated to enhance speed and service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a subway, the most important thing is reliability and frequency,\u201d the researcher said. \u201cAnd the way you have the highest frequency is through automated operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

A fast ride is a strong selling point for the IBX. The MTA has promised that a full one-way ride on the proposed 14-mile, 19-stop light-rail will take about 33 minutes\u2014a far cry from the nearly two-hour commute on most trains to the outer boroughs that have to run through Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\"\"The proposed IBX route.Image courtesy of the MTA<\/p>\n

Goldwyn suggested that train headway (the amount of time between consecutive trains) can be shortened with automation, thus supporting a quick commute.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are train lines in the world that run every 90 seconds,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd with the IBX, that should be our goal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Goldwyn might be on to something. Vancouver\u2019s SkyTrain uses fully automated, driverless trains. A glance at its\u00a0schedule<\/a> reveals that some trains run as frequently\u00a0as every two minutes during peak hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to an article in Railway News<\/a>, these driverless trains are expected to \u201cplay a central role in enabling more frequent and dependable operations on the expanding network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back home in the Big Apple, the possibility of a fully automated train does not appear far-fetched. The MTA is on a roll, modernizing its century-old infrastructure with \u201cCommunications-based Train Control\u201d (CBTC) technology, which relies heavily on computers and wireless communications between trains and track equipment to improve service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And it is similar to the technology used in Vancouver.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe CBTC system is expected to help manage rising passenger demand,\u201d the Railway News article notes. \u201cOn an average weekday in 2025, the SkyTrain network has recorded approximately 481,000 boardings. The enhanced automation is designed to improve reliability, reduce the frequency of headways between trains, and provide a consistent travel experience for users.<\/p>\n

The darker side of train automation<\/p>\n

But some New Yorkers caution that the removal of human staff carries a deeper risk, pointing to a potential \u201cdarker side,\u201d so to speak, of automation: The displacement of transit workers and the loss of security and safety that a human presence helps provide.<\/p>\n

\"\"MTA Chair Janno Lieber fist bumps a 6 train conductor at Grand Central on Oct. 31, 2022.Marc A. Hermann \/ MTA<\/p>\n

John Samuelsen, president of the Transit Workers Union International, told amNewYork that, according to the union\u2019s contract, an automated IBX will not come to light.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the IBX utilizes NYC Transit\u2019s fare medium, and provides seamless transfers into the subway, then it\u2019s TWU 100 work, covered by our contract,\u201d he explained. \u201cAutomation and OPTO [one-person train operation] are prohibited. Fully manned trains are required.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Samuelsen also referred to the Marron Institute study as \u201cgarbage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAcademics think working people are stupid,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can make data lie for them. They conducted a study of subway systems worldwide. But there\u2019s no subway system in the world like the NYC subway system.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

\"aTWU Local 100 members, left to right: Secretary-Treasurer Carlos Bernabel, International President John Samuelsen, Recording Secretary Shirley Martin, Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp, and President John V. Chiarello.TWU Local 100<\/p>\n

The transit union and many politicians are working to legally solidify this mandate through NYS legislation. Gov. Kathy Hochul has until the end of the year to approve a bill<\/a> that would mandate the continued presence of conductors on nearly all of NYC\u2019s subway trains, something that would likely extend to the proposed IBX.<\/p>\n

What do New Yorkers think of an automated IBX?<\/p>\n

amNewYork spoke to some subway riders about the idea of a fully automated IBX in the outer boroughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is NYC where things will happen on the subway. It is not about if they will happen, like track fires or crime,\u201d Teddy, a Manhattan subway rider said. \u201cWe need people on the trains. We need staff on the trains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Christina Wilkinson of Queens is concerned about public safety.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s rather unsafe to have tens of thousands of people traveling in a 14-mile-long stretch at high speeds without trained personnel aboard,\u201d she said. \u201cThere likely won\u2019t be staff at the stations, either, and we already know there won\u2019t be enough cops to patrol it. It\u2019s just an irresponsible idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liisa Lunden, also from Queens, echoed those sentiments.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether conductor-less or automated, I think that\u2019s a safety risk,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople already get pushed in front of trains. Light rail will be more desolate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

She also said train staff act as extra \u201ceyes and ears\u201d on trains and platforms to \u201csee if anything happens,\u201d citing criems in progress, threats, or passengers in need of police or medical help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In terms of mechanical safety, Goldwyn, from the Marron Institute, explained that automation comes with safeguards in place.\n<\/p>\n

He cited airport trains as an example when describing how automatic trains run \u2014 and how they know to stop.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is some issue where the train stops automatically, that information gets sent back to the central system, so the trains behind it know to stop,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA rendering showing a light rail proposal for the Interborough Express at the Wilson Av L train stop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.MTA<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Rachel Fauss, a senior policy advisor for Reinvent Albany, a group that advocates for transparency and accountability in government, agrees with the Marron Institute study. During an MTA committee meeting on Nov. 19, she said that \u201cthe trend globally is clearly towards automation\u201d as modern signaling systems are continue to get installed. While she did not discuss the IBX, she said that Hochul should veto the state legislature\u2019s bill to keep conductors on city trains.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, our state legislators have reached way too far into micromanaging the MTA by passing this misguided and outdated legislation,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The MTA has included robust funding in its $68.4 billion 2025-2029 capital plan to modernize the subway system. Fauss emphasized taking \u201cfull advantage\u201d of modern signals.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not squander this investment. By taking full advantage of modern signals, the MTA can run existing trains more efficiently, and put those savings directly into increased service, a win-win for riders and transit workers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The MTA declined to comment on this story.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The IBX, which is expected to cost around $6 billion, is currently in its design and environmental review phases. Although the proposal is on track to come to light in several years, the state-run MTA will continue to plan public meetings and outreach about the ambitious project.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A NYC urban planning research group published a study about train operation, calling on the MTA to make…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[98,23557,4804,9,56,63,65,64,25914,122,142,14329],"class_list":{"0":"post-45270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-ibx-light-rail","10":"tag-interborough-express","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-ny","13":"tag-nyc","14":"tag-nyc-headlines","15":"tag-nyc-news","16":"tag-nyu-research","17":"tag-queens","18":"tag-transit","19":"tag-twu-john-samuelsen"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}