Submitted via IRC for takyon
Mining co. says first autonomous freight train network fully operational
On Friday, major mining corporation Rio Tinto announced that its AutoHaul autonomous train system in Western Australia had logged more than 1 million km (620,000 mi) since July 2018, S&P Global Platts reported. Rio Tinto calls its now-fully-operational autonomous train system the biggest robot in the world.
The train system serves 14 mines that deliver to four port terminals. Two mines that are closest to a port terminal will retain human engineers because they are very short lines, according to Perth Now.
The train system took ten years to build and cost Rio Tinto AUD $1.3 billion (USD $916 million) to implement. The trains are remotely monitored by a crew located 1,500 km (932 mi) away in Perth.
According to the mining company, the autonomous trains make sure the rails are clear ahead and monitor internal systems as well, checking for faulty wheels or couplers and bringing the train to a stop if there's a problem.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Wednesday January 02 2019, @11:29AM (2 children)
That's an ambiguous statement - I should think that figure covers the whole railway (I'm using the UK terminology), not just the automation, but the phrase "train system" impies just the automation. Trouble is that most journos (like most people) know next to nothing about railways. No-one who does would refer to a railway (ie the entire system, trains, track, signals, staff) as a "train system", they would call it a "railway", or "railroad" in US speak.
I don't undertand why it is supposed to be so hard and amazing to automate a railway. Zocalo cites the London Dockland Railway, but the London Underground Victoria line was automatic much earlier than that - 1967 - without even involving computer tech, and has run reliably ever since.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 02 2019, @12:01PM
The thing is that <insert name or category of publication here> writes at its readers' level of comprehension and not necessarily in the industry's nomenclature.
Our designer (who also functions as our editor for all public facing content) reminds me of this all the time. As a programmer I naturally write content for other programmers to read rather than clients (or prospects). Our designer highlights things she feels are inaccessible to those outside of our industry so I can refine (or rewrite) them.
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Wednesday January 02 2019, @01:32PM
Finally, to clarify, I cited the DLR becase, unlike the Victoria Line (and many others since), the DLR trains are unmanned (other than an optional guard that wanders around the train), and it's a bit more complex than most unmanned airport systems where trains just shuttle back and forth on a single route or circle around a loop. All DLR train control, including movement across various interchanges and multiple branch lines, is handled using a combination of local sensors and central management, just like Rio Tinto's system. There's always an element of bespoke in this kind of project, but surely AUD $1.3b has to buy you more than smarter engines, trackside sensors, and a fancy control room?
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!