The locomotives/engines themselves for freight and longer distance passenger generally have a crew for the lead loco only… E.g. of the 2-6 engines, one crew for the train even if it’s pushing 2mi long.
Railroad Co’s definitely care about going driverless… It becomes a safety issue more than anything. One less crew to pay though. Driverless isnt the end goal… There are people controlling safety mechanisms, routes, etc behind the scenes too. After all each engine once had a crew, a caboose for a second crew (replaced by automated, stationary defect/object detectors), and more. While things have gotten safer, it isn’t because less people are involved and large leaps in safety - like brakes - were against RR co’s desires.
Some metros are.
The locomotives/engines themselves for freight and longer distance passenger generally have a crew for the lead loco only… E.g. of the 2-6 engines, one crew for the train even if it’s pushing 2mi long.
Railroad Co’s definitely care about going driverless… It becomes a safety issue more than anything. One less crew to pay though. Driverless isnt the end goal… There are people controlling safety mechanisms, routes, etc behind the scenes too. After all each engine once had a crew, a caboose for a second crew (replaced by automated, stationary defect/object detectors), and more. While things have gotten safer, it isn’t because less people are involved and large leaps in safety - like brakes - were against RR co’s desires.