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JAPAN: Tokyo Metro is working to introduce what it calls ‘GoA2·5’ train control on the 1 435 mm gauge Marunouchi Line (Line 4), the operator has told Railway Gazette International.
The Marunouchi Line has been operating using attended ATO to Grade of Automation 2 since 2008, and Tokyo Metro is now undertaking field testing of GoA2·5, ahead of a partial roll-out by the end of FY2027.
Tokyo Metro says GoA2·5 is a term which is used in Japan to define a level of attended automated operation somewhere between GoA2 and GoA3. In the IEC 62267 international standard, GoA2 is defined as attended ATO with a driver in the cab, while GoA3 is essentially driverless operation with an attendant somewhere onboard.
GoA2·5 also has an onboard attendant rather than a driver, but this staff member is located in the cab at the front of the train. This allows them to intervene by triggering an emergency stop if necessary, and to be on hand to provide guidance if a train has to be evacuated.
CBTC deployment
Tokyo Metro is also working to introduce CBTC across its network. The technology was put into operation across the whole of the Marunouchi Line in December 2024, as the first of the nine lines to be equipped by the operator. This followed extensive testing of CBTC equipment supplied by Mitsubishi Electric on the three-station Marunouchi Line branch between Nakano-sakaue and Honancho using a single modified trainset.
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The Hibiya Line (Line 2) is due to switch over to CBTC operation in FY2026, while installation is planned to be completed on the Hanzomon Line (Line 11) in FY 2028.
AloJapan.com