One-person operation

One-person operation (OPO), also known as driver-only operation (DOO), one-man operation (OMO), single person train operation (SPTO),^[1] or one-person train operation (OPTO),^[2] similarly to driver-controlled operation, is operation of a train, bus, or tram by the driver alone, without a conductor.^[3]

On one-person operated passenger trains, the engineer must be able to see the whole train to make sure that all the doors are safe for departure. On curved platforms a CCTV system, mirror or station dispatch staff are required.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Although extra infrastructure such as cameras and mirrors might require additional investment, one-person operation is usually faster and cheaper to implement than automatic train operation, requiring a smaller investment in, for example, platform intruder detection systems and track protection (fencing, bridge-caging, CCTV etc.).^[9] In some cases, one-person operation can be seen as an intermediate step towards automatic train operation.^[9]

While European freight trains are normally one-person operated, the larger North American freight trains are almost exclusively crewed by a conductor as well as the engineer.^[10]

While one-person operation is popular and on the rise among the train operating companies as it reduces the number of crew required and correspondingly reduces costs, it is for that reason controversial and is often strongly opposed by trade unions, often claiming that it is an unsafe practice.^[11][12]