When Is It Permissible to Operate Trains in Automatic Driving Policies?

According to Circular 42/2016/TT-BGTVT, the operation of autonomous train piloting must meet the following conditions:

- The railway is designed to prevent unauthorized personnel or animals from entering the railway area and ensure no hazardous situations obstruct the train’s path; the train is equipped with devices that allow automatic stopping when obstacles are detected on the railway; safety measures are applied to ensure train operation safety.- The railway is designed to prevent risks from adjacent railways; there are staff on the train responsible for emergency defense measures for the train; the train is equipped with devices that allow automatic stopping when obstacles are detected on the adjacent railway.- The railway is designed to allow easy evacuation of passengers in emergency situations.- Suitable measures are in place to ensure the safety of passengers on the platform.- The automatic piloting equipment must ensure all the following conditions:

- The train is not allowed to depart without confirmation of passenger safety when boarding and alighting the train.- It has features to set the train running speed below the speed indicated on the equipment, ensuring the train spacing is maintained, as well as smooth speed control, thereby ensuring train operation safety.- It allows the train to stop smoothly at a location that allows passengers to board and disembark without any obstruction.

- In cases where there are no railway staff on the train, the passenger cabin must be equipped with devices allowing passengers to communicate with the control center, or other measures must be in place to ensure passenger safety in emergency situations.

See the full regulation at Circular 42/2016/TT-BGTVT, effective from January 15, 2017.

- Thanh Lam -

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