U.S. Transit Systems Eye a Future for Driverless Trains
WHO:
ABC News - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CEO Randy Clarke said Metro’s restored train-control system is distinct from the signaling system involved in the Fort Totten crash.
Fortune - WMATA CEO Randy Clarke described the current system as “highly regulated, highly documented, very proficient.”
ABC News - Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, supports transit automation.
Fortune - John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union and a former New York subway worker, said unions oppose automation.
ABC News - Vance Tsuda, project director for Honolulu’s Skyline, said the system has had no crashes or injuries associated with automation.
Fortune - David King, an Arizona State University associate professor of urban planning who researches automated transportation, said public trust requires a perfect safety record.
ABC News - Cecily Way oversees planning for LA Metro’s Sepulveda Project.
WHAT:
ABC News - Washington officials advanced a nearly $1 billion plan to upgrade Metro’s Red Line with safety features, including platform barriers; trains could run without an onboard cab worker as early as 2033.
Fortune - Los Angeles is pursuing a new automated underground heavy-rail line beneath the Santa Monica Mountains; the proposal is undergoing environmental review and would use shorter, more frequent trains.
ABC News - Honolulu’s Skyline is the most expansive automated transit system in the United States and is planned to extend 19 miles when completed.
Fortune - Detroit and Miami opened elevated driverless train pilot projects in the 1980s; Las Vegas has a hotel-connecting monorail and airports have smaller automated passenger systems.
ABC News - The automated Memphis monorail closed, and Jacksonville’s driverless Skyway is set to halt operations indefinitely because of budget cuts.
Fortune - The Transport Workers Union’s Samuelsen called automation “a catastrophe waiting to happen” and warned, “Passengers will be left dealing with a self-evacuation, which is a disaster in a system which runs on a third rail.”
ABC News - Tsuda said, “If you have somebody making that decision, they could make a wrong decision.”
Fortune - Feigenbaum said, “I don’t know a nice way to say this, but basically the transit world is where innovation goes to die.”
WHERE:
ABC News - Metro’s Red Line serves Washington, D.C.; the 2009 Fort Totten collision occurred near Fort Totten station.
Fortune - The proposed Los Angeles line would pass beneath the Santa Monica Mountains, connecting the Westside employment hub with the San Fernando Valley.
ABC News - Honolulu operates the elevated Skyline system; the United States’ transit automation efforts lag behind systems in Europe, Asia, Canada, Australia, South America and the Middle East.
WHEN:
ABC News - A 2009 Red Line collision killed nine people and injured many others.
Fortune - Metro’s automated features were restored on the Red Line in 2024 and on other Metro lines the following year.
ABC News - Honolulu opened Skyline three years before the article and expanded it the following year.
Fortune - Metro’s board backed the Red Line upgrade plan in April; the article says driverless operation could begin as early as 2033.
ABC News - Washington’s and Los Angeles’s proposed projects would take years to implement and face financial and technical hurdles.
WHY:
Fortune - Supporters say automation could reduce long-term labor costs, though it requires substantial upfront spending.
ABC News - Honolulu introduced Skyline to ease major commuter traffic bottlenecks.
Fortune - The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the 2009 Fort Totten crash to a maintenance problem in the automated signaling system that separates trains.
HOW:
ABC News - Washington’s proposal includes barriers to keep passengers off the tracks; workers would still maintain tracks and respond to emergencies.
Fortune - The proposed Los Angeles line would use station doors to protect platform passengers from trains.
ABC News - Washington’s earlier automated features were turned off after the crash and later restored; Clarke said the crash-related signaling problem was not part of the restored cruise-control-like system.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 19:06 UTC)
Washington officials have advanced a nearly $1 billion plan to upgrade Metro’s Red Line with platform barriers and other safety features, potentially allowing trains to run without an onboard cab worker as early as 2033. CEO Randy Clarke says the restored, cruise-control-like system is distinct from the signaling system involved in the 2009 Fort Totten collision, which killed nine people. Los Angeles is also pursuing an automated underground rail line beneath the Santa Monica Mountains, though it remains under environmental review and faces financial and technical hurdles. Supporters say automation could lower long-term labor costs, but it requires major upfront investment. Union leader John Samuelsen warns that passengers could be left to evacuate themselves during emergencies. Honolulu’s elevated Skyline offers a contrasting example: its project director says automation has been associated with no crashes or injuries.