|
Rio Tinto completed a 60+ mile pilot run on 10 October 2017 without a driver on board, making it the first fully autonomous heavy-haul train journey to ever take place in Australia. The journey was closely monitored in real time by Rio Tinto teams and representatives of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, both on the ground and at the Operations Center in Perth, Australia.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Chris Salisbury said, “This successful pilot run puts us firmly on track to meet our goal of operating the world’s first fully autonomous heavy-haul, long-distance rail network, which will unlock significant safety and productivity benefits for the business.”
Rio Tinto operates about 200 locomotives on more than 1,050 mi of track in the Pilbara region, transporting ore from 16 mines to four port terminals. The AutoHaul project is focused on automating the trains that are essential to transporting the iron ore to Rio Tinto’s port facilities in Western Australia.
Full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 13, Number 1, March 2018 | 
;){kind=small}
