Where do you think the future of freight rail in the US lies?

[BaltACD]

What is the power source for all the autonomous rail cars?  What is the cost of the autonomous rail cars?

[Shadow the Cats owner]

That's the big reason Autonomous OTR trucks are not going to be hitting the roads soon.  Estimated cost for one is coming in right at 1 million bucks plus their software can not refuel the truck know how to respond to bad weather an accident or open or close the doors of the trailer.  Even with the wages we pay here with the benefits included we still come out over 400 grand ahead over one automated truck just in captial outlay alone.  

[Euclid]

We have been led to believe that a culture of self-driving, electric cars is right around the corner.  It is one of the several new utopian visions coming at us these days.  Apparently the trucking industry has bought the hype because they too use highway vehicles.  So railroads are eyeing this trend and starting to feel like they have to do something to keep up with the automation of trucking, or they will be left behind.

Actually, I believe railroads will be the first to automate running because they already own self-guiding track, which is a key advantage in automating vehicles.  Also, they don’t have to share their running with trucks and cars.  But, unlike the nimbleness of self-driving trucks, self-driving trains will be first to show up as the longest and heaviest unit trains as exemplified with Rio Tinto.

Self-driving cars and trucks will have to wait until we improve their guidance by making extensive modification to their roadways.

The self-driving railcars are an attempt to give rail the same advantage as trucks in being autonomous.  But self-driving railcars come with the basic disadvantage of needing railroad tracks, which are not necessary for single railcar loads competing with single loads in truck trailers on roads.

[RailRoader608]

There's a timely article in the WSJ about automation of the US railroads. I've saved the article into four JPGs so everyone can read it

http://i.imgur.com/LD8XKsR.jpeg

http://i.imgur.com/8yyJR6M.jpeg

http://i.imgur.com/Mz7CQ6N.jpeg

http://i.imgur.com/6m7Y7ly.jpeg

 

And here's the article on WSJ: American Railways Chug Towards Automation

[CMStPnP]

^^^ Nice of you to do that but it is also illegal to cut and paste paid for content to an area that can be publicly accessed.

[CNSF]

BaltACD

What is the power source for all the autonomous rail cars?  What is the cost of the autonomous rail cars?

 

See "Autonomous Trucks".  I'm just saying that if one, then the other.  If Autonomous Trucks never become both operationally and financially feasible, then forget about autonomous railcars.