@yorkie Of course, one fact of note is that automation (IT) has spawned a whole industry of its own which barely existed prior to the 1960s, employing millions if not billions of people worldwide including myself.
Could it mean that there won't be train drivers? Yes, it could.
Could it mean that there will instead be people doing the things people are good at - helping other people out, rather than being some kind of human machine performing menial tasks? Yes, it could.
That's where I get the "guard only operation" thing from - a guard is a better job to be done by a person than a driver, because a guard's job is about serving and keeping safe people (don't get hung up on door operation), whereas much of a driver's job (not all of it, I accept) basically involves being a human machine controlling another machine not capable of controlling itself. People like personal service when they need help, and will continue, I would say, to be willing to pay for it.
Which is why I do not expect there to be completely staffless trains in the UK in the next 50 or even 100 years, whereas I would expect to see at least some within the next 20 with one member of staff on board whose role is to deal with people - just like the DLR.
