As London is crippled once again by Tube strikes, we ask whether driverless trains are really the answer in this week’s Debate

YES: Automated systems would improve safety and could eliminate strikes

As London grinds to a halt yet again, RMT unions demand a 32-hour working week with no pay cuts. With strike action expected to cost up to £230m, the long-term case for driverless tubes becomes undeniable.

Critics cite Transport for London’s 2024 analysis claiming £7bn conversion costs with “no additional benefits.” Yet this represents institutional bias from an organisation whose leadership depends on union relationships. Global evidence is overwhelming; as of 2018, 64 fully automated lines across 42 cities prove the technology works. Dubai Metro achieves 99 per cent punctuality, Paris converted Line 1 without service interruption and no city has ever reversed automation.

Opponents claim London’s infrastructure is uniquely challenging, citing varied platform heights and single-bore tunnels. But aging infrastructure requires replacement regardless. The choice isn’t between expensive automation and cheap status quo; it’s between intelligent modernisation and perpetual patch-jobs that waste billions.

London already experiences automation daily. The DLR has served........

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