On page B-4 of today's (June 9, 2011) Wall Street Journal appeared an article about Rio Tinto successfully testing and hence planning on buying and using 10 automated/ remote-controllable huge off-road mining trucks. The article also mentions in passing that Rio Tinto is using automated drilling and blasting rigs, and has completed trials of full-size automated trains as above (and not much more info). For what it's worth, below is the title and link to the article if you want to read it yourself - apparently it's being driven (pun !) by the difficulty in finding enough people to do those jobs way out there.
Next: How soon until this technology comes to a railroad near you ?
And other questions: How many trains have been run ? How long have these trials been ongoing ? What problems have cropped up ? What system(s) does it use ? How transferable is it to other rail operations, even if just the ore and coal road kinds of operations ? What modificatins had to be made to the equipment ? Does Rio Tinto use some version of PTC to control the trains and prevent collisions - or does it have a better way ? And so on . . .
- Paul North.
MELBOURNE—The largest iron-ore mine in Australia will take a leap in efficiency starting next April: 10 automated trucks, one remote driver.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304259304576372892652648426.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle
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