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Comment by philjohn | Hacker News Reader

Small correction - they can also be driven manually, a flip up panel on the front seat allows the conductor to take control in the case of a complete (or widespread) signalling failure. They're restricted to 12mph though as there are no signals at all and everything must be done by sight.

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    > allows the conductor to take control in the case of a
    > complete (or widespread) signalling failure

Or, having ridden that line as part of a regular commute, whenever the conductor gets bored.

I don't think they actually get to drive the train then, just get the press the close door button on the panel. The train still drives to the next station without any human input.

Most automatic trains can't be driven by humans under normal circumstances because signaling information is fed to the train far faster than any human could react to it.

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