SIGNAL+DRAHT | Issue 09/2018
Rio Tinto’s automated trains approved
Rio Tinto has been granted accreditation by Australia’s Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, approving the autonomous operation of iron ore trains in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Confirming that the AutoHaul project is ‘on schedule to be completed by the end of 2018’, Rio Tinto said it would take a phased approach to deploying autonomous trains across the network in the lead up to full commissioning. The railway automation project forms part of Rio Tinto’s ‘mine of the future’ programme to automate much of its mining and production processes, which the company believes will unlock ‘significant safety and productivity benefits’....