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Despite what some of the previous posters have stated, the technology exists and has been in continuous use since the 1970's. I live near the Ohio Power coal shuttle that was powered by a pair of E50s. It just recently shut down due to the relocation of the mine but has operated safely, without crew, for over 30 years. There are other similar industrial applications and many transit applications in North America. <br /> <br />The major differences in these applications are that there are NO public road crossings on the lines. That eliminates a large liability issue. Also the trains are made of identical cars, so train response is very predictable. <br /> <br />Are the railroads willing to spend the money necessary to totally eliminate grade crossings and fence the property for its entire length? And are they willing to spend the money to make dedicated trainsets of identical cars? The answer to both is no. Having live crews is much less expensive. The real bottom line for this issure is simply money, if automation becomes less expensive for the mainline freights you will certainly see it happen. If the productivity of the labor remains high enough you will not see automated trains in general use.
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