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52-511: All local trains stop at all stations. Extra rapid trains stop at specific stations. Some of the stations along the Koumi Line are among the highest in Japan, with Nobeyama Station reaching 1,345 meters (4,413 ft) above sea level. Because of the frequent stops and winding route, the full 78.9 kilometers (49.0 mi) journey often takes as long as two and a half hours to traverse. However,

104-411: A conductor are indicated by a sign reading wanman ( ワンマン , "one man") , often accompanied by a pre-recorded in-car announcement mentioning that the train is a "one man train". Most buses are also one-person operations. In most cases, when not using an IC card , a boarding voucher ( 整理券 ) is taken when boarding the vehicle. This slip of paper has a number which corresponds to the station at which

156-410: A conductor as well as the engineer . While one-person operation is popular and on the rise among the train operating companies as it reduces the number of crew required and correspondingly reduces costs, it is for that reason controversial and is often strongly opposed by trade unions , often claiming that it is an unsafe practice. One of the first examples of a public transport vehicle that

208-486: A bureaucratic safety approval system with an independent safety assessor as the main reason for the lack of progress. On 7 June 2013, the Danish Ministry of Transport decided to implement one-person operation on the tendered Coastal Line , which led to the sacking of 50 guards. The one-person operation was set to start from 15 December 2013. Meanwhile, sickness absence among the sacked guards rose to six times

260-427: A conductor and engineer in the cab, as well as a conductor called a "Customer Service Ambassador" located within the train who is responsible for controlling the doors and making announcements. Via Rail operates with two locomotive cngineers and several on-board staff. The Montreal Metro operates with one-person crews. All Canadian light rail systems are either DOO or driver-controlled operation . In Denmark,

312-548: A conductor were in London on AEC Routemaster double-deck buses (primarily withdrawn in 2005), otherwise, all UK buses are one-person operated. Railroad engineer A train driver is a person who operates a train , railcar , or other rail transport vehicle. The driver is in charge of and is responsible for the mechanical operation of the train, train speed, and all of the train handling (also known as brake handling). Train drivers must follow certain guidelines for driving

364-564: A conversion of Line 2 to ATC and OPTO has been pushed out indefinitely. In 2020, a Mainstreet Research survey of Torontonians revealed that the public strongly opposed OPTO on Line 1 Yonge-University. More than 6-in-10 respondents disapproved of OPTO, and three-quarters disapproved of the TTC's decision not to inform the public of the plan to implement OPTO. In 2021, a Corbett Communications survey of Torontonians produced similar results: 7-in-10 respondents disapproved of OPTO, and 7-in-10 disapproved of

416-569: A driver and at least one conductor on board by rules, even it is not entirely mandatory. In Sweden around two daily departures on the Swedish part of the Oresundtrain system operated by Veolia Transport is one-person operated. This practice is however only utilized when there is an abrupt shortage of train managers. In 2013 the company's health and safety representative – who (in Sweden)

468-534: A profit, which included the section of this line between Koumi and Kobuchizawa. Local trains are driver-only operated ( one-person operation ) between Nakagomi and Kobuchizawa. However, lots of passengers use the stations between Nakagomi and Komoro, so local trains in this section have conductors onboard. Nakagomi Station is located near the Koumi Line Operation Office, where many train staff are working. Legend In February 2015, to mark

520-509: A station – on the busy central lines the train on one side of the platform did often have to wait for the train in the opposite direction on the other side of the platform to be dispatched. Although most of the central lines will be converted to ZAT-FM, there will be about 20 stations left in the network that will continue to have platform dispatchers. Most trains operating in Ireland are driver-only operated. In Japan, passenger trains without

572-466: A train can safely start for the next section. Although there were a couple of test runs since the 1970s these mass rapid transit systems were the last train systems in Germany to be converted to a one-person operation as rapid transit requires to ensure a minimum time to call at a station especially in rush hours. In Hamburg the " Selbstabfertigung durch den Triebfahrzeugführer " SAT (self-dispatching by

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624-496: A train safely. A train driver is also called engine driver , engineman or locomotive driver , commonly known as an engineer or railroad engineer in the United States and Canada, and also as a locomotive handler , locomotive engineer , locomotive operator , train operator , or motorman. In American English, a hostler (also known as a switcher ) moves engines around rail yards , but does not take them out on

676-442: A wider reform of public transport by the newly elected Kennett government. By 22 November 1995, all suburban trains were one-person operated. The entire Transperth network is driver-only operated. Conversion to DOO initiated in the early 1990s when then new A-series trains were introduced. Pacific National trains between Kewdale and West Merriden are occasionally driver-only operated. The Toronto subway system , operated by

728-559: Is a train driver appointed by a trade union – deemed it to be an unsafe practice demanding it be stopped. An important safety check done mainly by the conductor is to check that all doors get closed without any passenger stuck in any. This is hard to check in long trains, and long trains usually have at least two conductors. Trams and metro trains are however in general one-person operated. Freight trains are in general also one-person operated. The Barcelona Metro , Bilbao Metro , and Madrid Metro systems are all driver-only operated. On

780-441: Is operation of a train, bus, or tram by the driver alone, without a conductor . On one-person operated passenger trains, the engineer must be able to see the whole train to make sure that all the doors are safe for departure. On curved platforms a CCTV system, mirror or station dispatch staff are required. Although extra infrastructure such as cameras and mirrors might require additional investment, one-person operation

832-414: Is the old " Zugabfertigung durch den Triebfahrzeugführer ohne technische Unterstützung " ZAT-oU (train dispatching by train driver without technical support) or the new " Zugabfertigung durch den Triebfahrzeugführer mittels Führerraum-Monitor " ZAT-FM (train dispatching by train driver with driver cab monitor). Officials pointed out that the one-person operation does even lower the time a train halts on

884-471: Is usually faster and cheaper to implement than automatic train operation , requiring a smaller investment in, for example, platform intruder detection systems and track protection (fencing, bridge-caging, CCTV etc.). In some cases, one-person operation can be seen as an intermediate step towards automatic train operation. While European freight trains are normally one-person operated, the larger North American freight trains are almost exclusively crewed by

936-503: The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), uses a mix of one-person and two-person train operation. Since its opening in 1985, the light-metro Line 3 Scarborough has operated with a single operator, while the heavy-rail Line 1 Yonge-University , Line 2 Bloor-Danforth and Line 4 Sheppard all originally operated with two-person crews of a train operator and guard (conductor). The guard is responsible for operating

988-511: The 80th anniversary of the opening of the Koumi Line, a single-car KiHa 110 series unit was repainted into the "Metropolitan" all-over red livery carried by KiHa 52 DMUs formerly used on the line. This was followed in March 2015 by a two-car KiHa 110 series unit repainted into the vermillion and cream livery carried by KiHa 58 series DMUs formerly used on the line. The Saku Railway opened the section from Komoro to Haguroshita in 1915, and extended

1040-497: The British railway network, around 30% of all passenger services are single crewed or 'driver-only operated' ( DOO ). The remaining 70% employ approximately 6,800 guards. The term 'guard' is the common name used for the role which in most countries is referred to as a 'conductor'; it's also the name used in the railway's rule book. Many train companies use alternative names for the role (conductor, senior conductor, train manager), but

1092-601: The Coastal Line. DSB stated at the same time, that they did not expect one man operation to be implemented on the Coastal Line in 2015. The trains operated by Arriva on the rural single-track railways of Jutland have been one-person operated since Arriva won a tender to operate the lines in 2003. The small train company Nordjyske Jernbaner which operates in the sparsely populated most northern parts of Denmark also uses exclusively one-person operated trains. The railway companies Regionstog and Lokalbanen , operating

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1144-490: The US, regardless of various technological solutions to resolve the safety issues of one-person operation, there was consistent resistance towards one-person operation among the drivers and conductors of the streetcars. Whenever the workforce was well-organized in unions – which was the case in around half of all cities with streetcar companies – any proposal of one-person operation would generally be challenged, regardless of whether

1196-556: The United Kingdom (for steam locomotives) was engine cleaner, passed engine cleaner (i.e. the employee has passed the assessment for fireman), fireman, passed fireman (i.e. passed assessment for driver), and driver. Michael Reynolds, locomotive inspector of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway proposed a system of locomotive driving certificates, as a stimulus of improvement of service and competency. However, no such system

1248-478: The cameras and simultaneously operate the vehicle. It was expected that Line 1 would have had OPTO implemented in 2019, and Line 2 would follow with OPTO in 2021. However, delays in implementing automatic train control (ATC), which allows trains to be run entirely by computers to remove the need for the guard, has caused those dates to be pushed back. Line 1 was fully converted to OPTO in November 2022; however,

1300-458: The dissatisfaction of the train drivers. On 17 July 2013 DSB abandoned these temporary manual safety procedures and resumed to operate the Jutlandic regional trains with guards, on the grounds that the safety of their trains was not to be cast in doubt and that this was more important than "whether or not one-man operation was implemented a month or two latter than planned". DSBs preparations of

1352-455: The doors, as well as observing the platform. On 9 October 2016, OPTO was implemented on the heavy-rail Line 4, which uses four-car sets of Bombardier Toronto Rockets . According to a 2016 presentation, OPTO is "one of the TTC's key modernization efforts" as a cost-saving measure. The Toronto Rocket trains were altered to include a train door monitor system uses cameras to display a clear view of train doors while maintaining unobstructed views of

1404-567: The doors, but PSAs are also able to. The Ghan , the Indian Pacific and The Overland all feature train managers who perform a similar role, as did the Great Southern . Pacific National trains between Adelaide and Port Augusta are occasionally driver-only operated. The Melbourne suburban railway network (currently operated by train operating company Metro Trains Melbourne ) began one-person operation in 1993, as part of

1456-460: The driver's cab. There is a camera on the platform that transmits the images via wireless LAN to the train and the train has a connection back to the (existing) loudspeakers on the platform. The system was tested since 2007 but safety concerns caused its introduction to be held off for several years. Since its introduction, platforms may be served in one-person operation by ZAT-oU or the ZAT-FM, which

1508-487: The fact that the TTC decided to not offer public consultation on the issue. This survey also revealed that 6-in-10 Torontonians would feel unsafe riding in a train operated by just one staff member. Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West , the TTC's future light rail lines under construction as of 2022 , will use one-person operation. Line 5 will also use ATC in its tunneled section. GO Transit in Ontario operates with

1560-407: The journey is known for its scenery, in which passengers can see nature, highlands, high mountains and one of the most beautiful starlit skies at night. Local trains run between Koumi or Nakagomi and Komoro, between Kobuchizawa and Nobeyama or Koumi respectively, excluding local trains running the full length of the line. In 2022, JR East announced the names of railway lines which were failing to make

1612-541: The line south of Koumi was not undertaken. Diesel railcars were introduced on the line in 1930. The Koumi - Saku-Uminokuchi section was opened in 1932 by Japanese National Railways (JNR), which also opened the Kobuchizawa — Kiyosato section in 1933. The Saku Railway was nationalised in 1934, and the Saku-Uminokuchi - Kiyosato section opened in 1935, completing the line. In July 2017, JR East launched

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1664-601: The line to Koumi in 1919. The company planned a railway network extending from Kōfu in the south to Naoetsu and Nagaoka in the north, linking up with the Fuji Minobe Railway to create a coast-to-coast rail line. North of Komoro, Saku Railway obtained a construction permit for a section between Yashiro and Suzaka, but this was transferred to the local Katō Railway (predecessor of the Nagano Electric Railway ). Due to World War I construction of

1716-430: The lines permanent standard procedures for one-person operation did however prove to be more difficult than first anticipated. As of September 2015 DSB was only planning to use one-person operation at the local lines north and south of Aalborg – and far from all the way to Aarhus. DSB has also stated that the rest of the remaining timeline for implementing one-person operations will be re-evaluated DSB has pointed to

1768-543: The main line tracks; the British English equivalent is a shunter . For many American railroads, the following career progression is typical: assistant conductor ( brakeman ), train conductor , and finally the engineer. For many years the fireman was next in line to be an engineer, but that classification has been eliminated. In the US, engineers are required to be certified and must then be re-certified every two to three years. The traditional career progression in

1820-602: The normal levels, resembling "sick-out" strike action . This compelled the train operating company DSB Øresund to offer the sacked guards a "stay healthy bonus" of up to 5000 Danish kroner per month (about US$ 900 or GB£600). The safety approval of one-person operation on the Coastal Line is part of a joint DSB one-person operation project, which entails that the Coastal Line will not be one-person operated before DSB has managed to obtain safety approval for other lines first. In August 2015 DSB stated that they would reevaluate whether or not they would implement one person operation on

1872-518: The operator fell ill. The dead man switch ensured that the tram would stop in the event of an incapacitated driver. For this reason, the Birneys were also called "safety cars". Another critical feature of the Birney in dealing with safety issues from the critics of one-person operation was its compact size which eased the driver's view of the road and reducing the number of doors to a single one. In

1924-559: The passenger boarded; since fare is typically calculated by distance traveled, the current fare from each previous stop is shown by a screen on board. When disembarking, passengers pay at a fare collection box at the exit. An increasing number of subways are becoming one-person operation, including the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line , which was designed to operate on one-person operation, the Toei Ōedo Line , which

1976-546: The role is mostly the same regardless of operator. Since 1985, freight trains have steadily converted to one-person operation. On the UK light railways and tramways, conductors have all but disappeared in an operational sense and now the term 'conductor' is commonly used for revenue and customer service staff. Historically 'operational' conductors were the 'norm' on all systems including the London Underground (who used

2028-809: The single-track railways of Zealand , use solely one-person operated trains as well. On all Danish one-person operated passenger trains, ticket inspectors still board the train now and then to perform spot checks . Several systems within France are DOO. The Marseille Metro is entirely operated using driver-only operation. Various Paris Métro lines and all of the Tramways in Île-de-France routes and lines are driver only operated, with 2 metro lines currently operating completely unattended. The S-Bahn rapid transit system in Berlin and Hamburg were using platform train dispatchers to ensure all doors are closed and

2080-643: The state owned railway company DSB started implementing one-person operation on the commuter rail S-train system in 1975. The S-train system has been completely one-person operated since 1978. At the start of 2013 DSB also used one-person operated trains on the two small regional rail lines Svendborgbanen and Aarhus nærbane. As a result of several years of major annual deficits, DSB started implementing one-person operation on several rail lines on 29 June 2013. This led to reductions in staff, followed by widespread protest and some small illegal strikes by train drivers, who accused DSB of using rolling stock which

2132-406: The streetcar company was in serious financial difficulties. In many cities, it took a municipal ordinance to authorize one-person operation, thus also politicizing the subject. The result of all this was typically strikes and other industrial action whenever one-person operation was implemented. While the Birney was one of the first public transport vehicles designed for one-person operation, it

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2184-490: The term 'guard' like the mainline railway). With exception to the Blackpool system , London Underground and Glasgow Subway – all current UK light rail systems are of modern construction and were built as 'new' for one-person operation. British buses also once had operational conductors on most services, most buses were front-engined, meaning the passenger saloon door had to be behind the driver's cab. The last buses to have

2236-553: The tourist train High Rail 1375 . "1375" refers to the elevation of 1,375 m of the highest point on any JR line in Japan. The train makes the most of its backdrop, and offers unique services for day and night operations. One-person operation One-person operation ( OPO ), also known as driver-only operation ( DOO ), one-man operation ( OMO ), single person train operation ( SPTO ), or one-person train operation ( OPTO ), similarly to driver-controlled operation ,

2288-467: The track and signals. The cameras replace the role of the train guard who used to observe the platform for safety. However, this system was not adequate to keep passengers safe, as there has been a 50% increase of dangerous "red light violations", or train operators not stopping for stop signals, after OPTO implementation on the Sheppard subway, due in part to the sole train operator having to both monitor

2340-514: The train driver) was first introduced in 2000 and the last station was becoming unstaffed in 2006. On the bigger Berlin S-Bahn network the " Zugabfertigung durch den Triebfahrzeugführer " ZAT (train dispatching by the train driver) was introduced in 2006. However it was only used on straight platforms so far. Since 2014 the Berlin S-Bahn has used a system where an electronic monitor is in

2392-482: The trains one-person operated – seeing as the trains were still operated with a guard – it was one of the first steps towards it. Besides the dead man's switch, the electrification and dieselisation of railways also helped reduce the required staff in the locomotive to a sole operator – as diesel and electric traction does not require a fireman to shovel coal into a boiler. On the London Underground,

2444-411: The use of multiple units ended the need for a second crew member in the driving cab to assist with coupling at the terminal train station . Adelaide Metro's metropolitan rail network is configured for driver-only operation, but also operates with Passenger Service Assistants (PSA). This is a safety role, but with a focus on customer service and revenue protection. Normally, the train driver operates

2496-472: Was developed specifically for one-person operation is the Birney streetcar introduced in the United States in 1916. The Birney was pre-equipped with one of the most important safety devices for enabling one-person operation – the dead man's switch . At the time (and to a certain extent also today) one of the most cited arguments against one-person operation was the safety risks to passengers and bystanders if

2548-623: Was ever universally adopted by the railways of the UK. In India, a driver starts as a diesel assistant (or electrical assistant for electric locomotives). They then get promoted on a scale: goods, passenger, mail express, and the Rajdhani , Shatabdi , and Duronto express services. The British transport historian Christian Wolmar wrote in October 2013 that train operators employed by the Rio Tinto Group to transport iron ore across

2600-486: Was not the first public transport vehicle to be equipped with a dead man's switch. In 1903, the Metropolitan District Railway equipped two of its A Stock trains with a dead man's switch. The switch was introduced so that one person could operate in the driving cab on their own, which became standard for all train companies operating the London Underground in 1908. Even though this did not make

2652-606: Was one-person operated since its opening in the year 1990, and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line , which became driver-only operated from 2009. By 1997, more than 90 percent of all trains – both passenger and freight – operated by the then main freight and passenger rail operator in New Zealand, Tranz Rail , had only one person in the loco cab. In general all passenger trains on railways in Sweden have

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2704-465: Was unsafe for one-person operation. The Danish Railway Union stated in 2011 "that one-person operation wasn't their cup of tea". The lines that were planned to become one-person operated were: Copenhagen-Ringsted, Copenhagen-Kalundborg, Copenhagen-Nykøbing F., Aarhus-Aalborg, Fredericia-Esbjerg and Roskild-Køge-Ringsted The one-person operation of the railway line Aarhus-Aalborg was implemented using temporary and very manual safety procedures – much to

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