Man Behind the Empty Glass: Why Chengdu’s Fully Driverless Metro Keeps an Employee on Duty

Videos filmed inside subway cars in Chengdu, China, have racked up millions of views on social media. The clips show a uniformed employee sitting motionless by the panoramic front windshield of the lead car for the entire ride, staring into the dark tunnel ahead with no levers or buttons in front of him. Online commenters were quick to dub it “the most boring job on the planet,” but strict safety protocols lie behind the attendant’s apparent passivity.

A Hidden Console and the Highest Level of Automation

The videos were shot on Chengdu Metro’s Line 13, which is in regular commercial operation. As reported by People’s Daily, the line was designed to the international GoA4 (Grade of Automation 4) standard. This represents the highest level of rail autonomy: trains leave the depot, maintain distance, brake at stations, and open their doors entirely under automated control.

The worker sitting by the windshield is not a driver, but a technical maintenance specialist. The popular myth that he has no control over the train is incorrect: the controls are hidden under a protective panel. Underneath the flip-up cover is a backup emergency control panel with physical switches, brake levers, and service displays for switching to manual mode in an emergency.

Real Regulations Over Psychological Tricks

In an official statement to The Paper, metro officials explained that the employee’s role is to continuously monitor the tracks for foreign objects and inspect onboard systems during the trip. Transit authorities even asked commuters not to engage the attendant in conversation while the train is moving to avoid distracting him.

The viral theory that the staff member was placed by the glass purely as a “living prop” to reassure passengers is unsupported by official documents: his duties are purely technical and emergency-focused.

Chengdu uses this practice across several lines equipped with GoA4 automation, including Lines 9, 27, and 30. Industry portal WorkerCN notes that Chinese transit operators refer to this approach as “autonomous operation with human supervision.” While automation has relieved workers of the monotonous task of driving trains manually, engineers are not yet ready to hand over critical decision-making to algorithms.

Chengdu Metro Line 13 is fully automated and doesn’t actually need a driver — yet one employee still has to stand in the open front cab for the entire journey, fully visible to passengers.

The internet has dubbed him ‘the most melancholic train driver’ and ‘the subway hostage.’ pic.twitter.com/p60ZItw6UE

— Diamond Feed (@DiamondFeedX) September 1, 2026