World's First Self-Driven Train Now Operational In Australia

One of the biggest advances in transportation has been self-driving technology, which has facilitated breakthroughs in not just self-driven cars, but even driverless trains, self-flying planes and self-navigating ships. Rio Tinto, an Australian mining corporation, has unveiled the first operational driverless train in Western Australia, even before China, which has its own similar automated train in the works. The train completed its first run of 100 kilometers (62 miles) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, without anyone manning the train. "This successful pilot run puts us firmly on track to meet our goal of operating the world's first fully-autonomous heavy haul, long distance rail network, which will unlock significant safety and productivity benefits for the business," Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Chris Salisbury stated in the press release issued Monday. "New roles are being created to manage our future operations and we are preparing our current workforce for new ways of working to ensure they remain part of our industry."