Rio Tinto autonomous train makes first delivery 280 km away
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major Rio Tinto has delivered its first iron-ore delivery by autonomous train from the Tom Price mine, to the Port of Cape Lambert, some 280 km away.
The autonomous train consisted of three locomotives and carried about 28 000 t of ore. The train was monitored remotely by operators in Rio’s Operations Center, in Perth, more than 1 500 km away.
“The safe first delivery of iron-ore by an autonomous train is a key milestone for AutoHaul. The programme will deliver the world’s first fully autonomous, long-distance, heavy-haul rail network, operating the world’s largest and longest robots,” said Rio iron-ore MD for rail, port and core services, Ivan Vella.
“This programme symbolises both the pioneering spirit and innovative talents of many people across Rio Tinto and shows our absolute commitment to improving safety and productivity, as well as enabling greater flexibility across our operations.”
The inaugural journey followed regulatory approval in May, with Rio saying on Friday its $940-million AutoHaul programme was on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. The system is expected to unlock significant safety and productivity gains for the miner, as well as optimising its iron-ore system by providing more flexibility and reducing bottlenecks.
The miner operates some 200 locomotives on more than 1 700 km of track in the Pilbara, transporting iron-ore from 16 mines to four port terminals.
“We will continue to ensure our autonomous trains operate safely under the wide range of conditions we experience in the Pilbara, where we record more than eight-million kilometers of train travel each year.
“We are working closely with drivers during this transition period as we prepare our employees for new ways of working as a result of automation,” said Vella.
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