"Since 2018 we have been optimising the world’s first fully driverless freight railway. We are honoured to partner with Rio Tinto on this digital transformation journey and to pioneer the next generation of innovation."
Michele Fracchiolla, Hitachi Ltd
A critical 24/7 operation
Challenge
Rio Tinto relies on shipping iron ore from mine to port as a critical 24/7 operation. The average return journey of the 2.4 km long trains is 800km, taking approximately 40 hours including loading and dumping.
Multi-year collaboration
Solution
AutoHaul™ is the result of a multi-year collaboration between Rio Tinto and Hitachi Rail. Hitachi Rail's role included signalling, telecommunications and traffic management system (TMS) systems integration.
Reliability, Capacity, Availability
Impact
Improved reliability, capacity, availability. Hitachi Rail’s technical pioneering continues to support Rio Tinto's carbon reduction target of 15% emissions reduction by 2025 and 50% by 2030, and zero by 2050.