JR West (West Japan Railway Company) and SOFTBANK Corp. have opened to the press a demonstration test of the “Automated and Formation Driving BRT” being conducted on a dedicated test course in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture.
The two companies started a demonstration test in October 2021 in which three vehicles (a continuous bus, a large bus, and a small bus) drive in formation in automatic operation, and are conducting development and verification with the aim of commercializing the system in the mid-2020s.
In this press release, we were able to see the three vehicles driving in formation on the test course in automatic mode.
The total length of the test course is approximately 1.1 km, but this time, the driver did not use both ends of the course, but instead turned around at a wider space in the middle of the course and drove back and forth. The final goal for automated driving is to achieve a maximum speed of 60 km/h. However, due to the shortening of the course and the shortening of the straight sections, the cars were driven at a maximum speed of about 30 km/h while maintaining a space of about 10 to 20 m between vehicles.
The three buses are equipped with a variety of sensors, including LiDAR, cameras, GPS (GNSS), and magnetic markers, and also utilize inter-vehicle communications to control vehicle speed. One of the objectives of the demonstration is to test various combinations of these sensors, taking into account installation and maintenance costs.
According to Kunihiro Fuwa, Manager of the Next-Generation Mobility Development Section, Innovation Division, Railway Headquarters, JR West, the aim is to realize transportation capacity between railroads and buses by having BRTs run in formation with automatic operation. By having buses running on different routes run in formation on trunk roads, the BRT can operate more flexibly and with fewer drivers, which he hopes will help solve issues such as the recent human resource shortage.
As for the future vision he is aiming for, he says, “Rather than BRT and automated driving technology alone, we are focusing on how to achieve sustainable mobility services in conjunction with urban development.
This time, a formation of three vehicles (a continuous bus, a large bus, and a small bus) was demonstrated, but the system is capable of operating up to four vehicles in various combinations.
According to Kenji Watanabe, General Manager of the Business Planning & Management Department of SOFTBANK’s Railway Business Promotion Division, when the system is put into practical use, one driver will be in the lead car and staff will be in the following cars to support safe operation.
In anticipation of such operations, the doors of the following cars can be opened and closed simultaneously by operating the driver’s cab of the lead car, and announcements can be made from the lead car to the following cars.
Around the driver’s cab are a number of tablets and displays that allow the driver to check the images from the cameras installed in each vehicle. The driver is required to check the safety of the vehicle while operating it, but it is a heavy burden for a single driver to check a large number of images, and one of the challenges is how to achieve safe operation while utilizing AI and other technologies.
The test course is also equipped with traffic signals to allow for intersections with public roads, but these were not in operation on the day of the test. When the system is put into practical use, the bus and the transit system will communicate with each other to control the traffic signals so that the BRT side will have priority over the other side.
After the demonstration, Mr. Shuji Kubota, Deputy General Manager of JR West Railway Headquarters, General Manager of Railway Headquarters Innovation Division, and Mr. Toshio Nagata, Executive Officer of SoftBank, Corporate Executive Officer, Corporate Business Management (in charge of Railway Business Promotion Division), met for an interview.
When asked about the positioning of this demonstration experiment, Mr. Nagata replied, “SoftBank has drawn up a growth strategy called Beyond Carrier. In this strategy, we are trying to solve issues in the diffusion industry and various other fields through IT, innovation, and DX. This BRT formation with JR West is meaningful in solving regional transportation issues,” commented Mr. Nagata.
Mr. Kubota said, “We celebrated the 150th anniversary of the railroad last Friday, and in addition to continuing to grow and manage the railroad well, it is not as if the railroad alone can compete with social issues such as declining population and aging society with fewer children. Perhaps a mobility service that is suited to the region is desirable, and I think that (BRT train travel) will be one of the options in such a situation.
© Source travel watch
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