In another verse from the machine-replaces-man songbook, Toei Subway is replacing the conductor on half of its Tokyo lines with a bevy of machines, including a safety wall that has been making its way through Toei Mita Line stations across Tokyo this summer.
The 1.3-meter-high "platform gate," with its automatic doors, will compensate for a lost safety factor when trains on the north-south jagging Mita Line adopt a motorman-only system Sept. 26.
Tasks once performed by the conductor at the rear of the train, such as closing the doors and checking the platform before departure, will now be performed by the motorman with the aid of the platform gate and a video monitor in the cab.