Will self-driving cars kill off the train?

Will self-driving cars kill off the train? Autonomous vehicles will make railways obsolete - even if new high speed routes are built, expert claims

• Randal O’Toole, of the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington DC, thinks commuters will choose autonomous cars over high-speed trains in 2030
• Technology is predicted to feature in lots of cars in the next 15 years and mean journeys could be used for working and watching films, for example 
• He thinks such vehicles could be the death of the railways - even if billions of pounds are invested on faster lines across the world
• His prediction makes arguably plans for HS2 and HS3 unappealing in the UK 

The widespread adoption of autonomous cars – which is predicted to happen within just 15 years – could lead to the death of railways, one expert claims.

The damning prediction comes at a time when governments around the world are planning on ploughing billions into high speed rail projects, such as HS2 in Britain.

One US expert thinks the investments could be made in vain, because the lure of self-driving cars, which could transport people in comfort to any location with minimal effort, will outweigh the appeal of high speed railway lines.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2810758/Will-self-driving-cars-kill-train-Autonomous-vehicles-make-railways-obsolete-new-high-speed-routes-built-expert-claims.html#ixzz440DzZXRr 
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