Plans emerge as Michael Gove hints the £71bn line could be axed
HS2 passengers will travel in the first driverless trains on a British cross-country mainline under specifications given to manufacturers by ministers, The Telegraph can disclose.
Services running at 225mph will be centrally controlled through the use of a system called Automatic Train Operation (ATO), which is currently being trialled on high-speed services in Japan and seeks to ensure “to-the-second” punctuality.
A trained supervisor will be in the cab of HS2 trains throughout journeys to override systems in case of an emergency, industry sources added.
It came as Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, raised the prospect of scaling back or abandoning the £71bn line from London to Birmingham and Manchester.