American Railways Chug Toward Automation

A decade in the making, Rio Tinto's driverless train system, called AutoHaul, now manages roughly 200 locomotives that move iron ore from inland mines to coastal ports in Western Australia. The trains are operated hundreds of miles away, in an office block in Perth. Rio Tinto's network, which began formally operating in driverless mode late last month, is the first fully autonomous, long-haul freight railroad. Rail-company executives from countries including the U.S. and Canada have visited to see the technology in action, said Ivan Vella, Rio Tinto's head of iron-ore rail services. American companies say automating tasks once handled by crew will create fluid networks more akin to a model train set.