The New York Times for 1-17-2005, page B3, has a more lengthy commentary on the same topic, titled "Riders Skeptical of Plan for conductorless Trains," by Sewall Chan. The three-column article is quite accurate on facts, but perhaps a bit confusing as to what is planned for the L. There is no mention of zero-on-board-staff trains being run on Airtrain. This paragraph surprised me, "The transportation authority has approved single-member crews only on routes with train lengths of 300 feet or less and average passenger loads of 125 percent of seated capacity." Aren't passengers ordinarily jammed into the two-car Franklin Shuttle?
To me, the big question is how well the person who closes the doors can see those doors.