Rail automation news – Page 7
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Metro Report InternationalSantiago opens second driverless metro line
CHILE: President Sebastián Piñera officially opened the second driverless line of the Santiago metro with a ceremony at Los Libertadores station on January 22. Line 3 links Los Libertadores with Fernando Castillo Velasco on a 21·7 km underground alignment with 18 stations. The end-to-end journey time is 30 min ...
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NewsRio Tinto completes AutoHaul autonomous train project
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto has announced the successful deployment of its AutoHaul technology for the autonomous operation of iron ore trains in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, creating what the mining company said was ‘the world’s largest robot and first automated heavy-haul, long-distance rail network’. Deployment of the ATO over ...
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Metro Report InternationalWuhan extends driverless metro line
CHINA: A southern extension of Wuhan’s driverless metro Line 7 opened to passengers on December 28. The 16·6 km underground extension from Yezhihu to Qinglongshan Ditiexiaozhen adds seven stations. CRRC Zhuzhou has supplied 15 six-car trainsets for the extension. These augment the 40 trainsets supplied by CRRC Changchun for ...
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Metro Report InternationalEast Japan Railway tests driverless operation
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is testing automatic train operation on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, with a view to assessing the feasibility of converting routes to driverless operation. The 34·5 km circular route was selected for testing because it does not share tracks with other lines. JR East envisages that ...
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NewsEast Japan Railway tests driverless operation
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is testing automatic train operation on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, with a view to assessing the feasibility of converting routes to driverless operation. The 34·5 km circular route was selected for testing because it does not share tracks with other lines. JR East envisages that ...
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NewsSNCF targets autonomous trains in five years
FRANCE: SNCF expects to see ‘semi-autonomous’ trains running on the French rail network by 2020 and fully automatic trains within five years, following the establishment of two consortia of suppliers and research institutes to develop and implement the technology. Providing an update on progress with the Train Autonome research programme ...
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NewsDriverless heavy haul train completes first iron ore delivery
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto completed its first iron ore delivery using a driverless train on July 10. The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator had granted approval on May 16, and full commercial operation is planned for late 2018. The fully-loaded autonomous train with three locomotives carried 28 000 ...
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NewsRio Tinto’s automated trains approved
AUSTRALIA: 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, the group announced on May 18. Confirming that the AutoHaul project is ‘on schedule to be completed by the ...
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NewsRio Tinto operates first fully-autonomous test train
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto has successfully operated its first fully-autonomous freight train on its iron ore network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the company announced on October 2. The 100 km pilot run from Wombat Junction to Paraburdoo was completed without a driver on board. Throughout the trip, the ...
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NewsWhither the train crew?
How many people does it take to run a train? The answer, of course, depends on the type of train, the location, and whether you include staff on and off the vehicles. But the question is constantly being asked by both freight and passenger operators. A heated debate is underway ...
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NewsRio Tinto ready to test automated operation
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto Iron Ore has confirmed its intention to ‘soft launch’ its AutoHaul project before the end of May, to test the automatic operation of heavy haul freight trains. The initial run on the Hamersley line between Tom Price and the port at Dampier is described by an ...
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NewsRio Tinto automation contract confirmed
AUSTRALIA: Train operations on Rio Tinto’s heavy haul iron ore railways in the Pilbara are to be fully automated by 2015 under two contracts announced on July 6. Valued at A$362m in total, the contracts have been exercised under the framework agreement which Rio Tinto signed with Ansaldo STS in ...
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NewsRio Tinto to introduce driverless trains by 2014
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto confirmed on February 20 that driverless trains would begin running on its Hamersley and Robe River iron ore network in Western Australia’s Pilbara region during 2014, under an A$518m investment package which forms part of the group’s ‘Mine of the Future’ strategy. Rio Tinto is currently investing ...
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Disneyland Resort Line ready to open
CHINA: September 12 sees the opening of the Hong Kong Disneyland park at Penny’s Bay, served by a 4 km branch from Sunny Bay on MTR’s Tung Chung Line. Revenue service on Hong Kong’s first fully-automated metro began on August 1, attracting an average of 10 000 passengers/day in the ...
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Automation by stealth
CHINA: This year Hong Kong MTR Corp will open its seventh line, and the first to be fully-automated. The 3·4km Disneyland Resort Line (DRL) will connect the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park at Penny’s Bay on the south coast of Lantau Island with the new Sunny Bay station on the ...