Japan tests its first autonomous passenger train | Video

On December 24, the JR Kyushu autonomous train made its first supervised test journey. The train is expected to travel on one of the routes that pass through the island of Kyushu.

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With a video showing a preliminary phase of the test, JR Kyushu announced that from December 24 they will conduct a series of tests with passengers on board. During its first test, the train moved in automatic mode and crossed the railway line without the help of a driver.

At the moment, a driver monitors the tests of this train until March 2022, according to the operators. When the train passes all the tests, the safety of your operation will finally be checked.

• A plane makes an emergency landing after a passenger refused to wear a mask
• NASA probe makes history, collects asteroid samples for the first time
• New CDC study provides more evidence that COVID-19 can spread on flights
• The European Soyuz rocket takes off with the mission of exploring planets beyond the sun
• British fighter jet systems to be tested on passenger plane

Toshihiko Aoyagi, head of JR Kyushu, told the press that the company is planning to develop this project amid the current problems in the country, with the aging population and low birth rate, which generate a negative impact on the number of people willing to work as a train driver.