Richard J. wrote:
This is actually off-topic for this NG as it concerns the Paris Métro,
but I couldn't resist the attention-grabbing headline. I saw this
report in the local newspaper Le Parisien while in Paris last week.
It's of interest here, especially in view of the ASLEF strike on
Christmas Eve on the Piccadilly:

"There will be no more drivers on Line 1 from 2010. STIF [the Parisian
equivalent of TfL] has just given its green light to the project to
automate this line, ... the busiest in the Paris network with nearly 145
million passengers per year. Advantages for users of the line will
include increased frequency of trains, additional capacity of 6% in peak
hours, the possibility of running trains for a good part of the night
.... But, above all, the introduction of driverless trains will allow
them to run even during strikes."

The plan includes the installation of platform-edge doors at all
stations on the line, and new rolling stock, the existing stock to be
cascaded to Line 4. We're talking here about full automation with no
staff on the trains, as already implemented on Line 14. Line 1 and most
other Paris Métro lines currently run with ATO, which was installed
across the network between 1967 and 1979.

The DLR with its 99.2% reliability(?) is a testament to automated
operation. It's interesting that that Paris project is not far from the
scale of the Victoria line, which as 161m passengers annually.

I'm sure we've had this discussion before, but is a member of staff
required on board trains in the UK for safety reasons?

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - transport projects in London