Dr. Maria Chiara Leva:

They are centralised, which does mean they are completely unattended. The supervision is still there, but the way in which it is organised can vary. The staff might not be localised in one particular station or location but they are nonetheless present and, in theory, supervising through CCTV and other forms of access. They can see people at the station and speak to them remotely. An air traffic controller can remotely control an airport in Norway, 1,000 km away from the airport, and still have a totally clear view of the runway. This technology is deployed also in day-to-day forms of transport. It does not mean that there is no one there. Rather, the modality of the interaction with someone is mediated through technology. The sense of presence can also be represented in different forms and we have to explore those forms.

There is also the issue of getting help. We heard from many people that there should be a facility to send a text message. This is very effective. If you can send a text message and someone comes at the next station, that will be a very powerful message. If you send a text message and nothing happens until the end of the journey, that is also a very powerful message, but in the wrong direction from what we want.