Metro is planning for fully automated trains
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The concept platform doors. Rendering: Courtesy of Metro
Metro wants to go all-in on automation, from trains to new platform doors.
Why it matters: Metro general manager Randy Clarke is prioritizing modernization, instead of expensive new Metro lines (sorry, Georgetown station wanters).
Driving the news: The latest concept Clarke's considering is building screen doors on train platforms. That would create a barrier between the platform and the train tracks. And riders would know exactly where to wait for boarding (see rendering above).
- Trespassing on tracks has led to deadly incidents and service delays, Metro officials highlight.
- Platform screens and driverless trains are also now the global standard for metro systems.
Zoom out: Going fully automated also means upgrading the system's aging signaling systems at the Metro command center and having railcars equipped with the latest driverless technology.
- "We experience more delays from our signal system than any other system," Metro's chief infrastructure officer Andy Off said in a board meeting Thursday.
What's ahead: Metro hopes to test out the concept screen doors next year. This year, Metro is slowly restoring automatic train operation, which is now in effect on the Red Line and expected to expand.
- "Retrofitting for automation is less expensive and benefits the whole system faster than building new lines," per a presentation from Off to the Metro board yesterday.
Clarke told Axios last month in an interview that automation is "the safest, it's the most cost-efficient, and it's the most reliable."
- He used the Dulles Airport AeroTrain between terminals as an example.
- "The train drives itself. They have employees that do customer service. No one could ever get in front of a train" trespassing on the tracks, Clarke said.