Date: 26/03/2018

The UKs first self-drive train was being launched on a busy London commuter route today. The Thameslink train was due to switch from manual to computer control between St Pancras and Blackfriars stations. Rail bosses, wary of alarming passengers following an incident in the US in which a Uber self-drive car killed a pedestrian, emphasised that the driver remained in the cab at all times. It is the first time that automatic train operation (ATO) has been used on the mainline rail network, though automated trains are in use on the Victoria, Northern and Jubilee Tube lines.

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Thameslink launches UK's first 'self drive' train on busy London route

Evening Standard

TheUKs first self-drive mainline train was being launched on a busy London commuter route today. The Thameslink train was due to switch from manual to computer control between St Pancras and Blackfriars stations. Rail bosses, wary of alarming passengers following an incident in the US in which a Uber self-drive car killed a pedestrian, emphasised that the driver remained in the cab at all times.