The spread of new coronavirus infections (hereinafter referred to as , which began in Japan at the end of 2019, has greatly affected railway business. There is an urgent need to reduce fixed costs while responding to changing needs for mobility in a post COVID-19 society. As such it is necessary to speed up research and development so that it can contribute to helping railway companies reduce fixed costs. This paper first introduces an overall picture of research and development related to the sophistication of automatic operation and its application to conventional railway lines. Secondly, it introduces ongoing research and development efforts related to the utilization of non-failsafe processors or a public communication network such as 5th Generation mobile communication systems (5G) for critical applications in the railway field. Finally, it presents the direction and policy of future research and development for equipment saving and cost reduction.