Alstom testing automated freight train in the Netherlands

[Adlington]

According to the BBC:

French train engineering giant Alstom is to test automated freight trains in the Netherlands this year. The automated train prototype can travel for about 100km (60 miles) without driver intervention.

The test's purpose is to provide a live demonstration that the train and the signal system can communicate effectively to drive the train.

Alstom signed an agreement with the the Dutch infrastructure operator ProRail and Rotterdam Rail Feeding (RRF) to carry out the tests along the Betuweroute - a 150km double track freight railway line connecting Rotterdam to Germany.

Driverless train technology already exists - the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is fully automated - but [rail journalist] Mr Miles predicts that it will still take between 30-50 years for the technology to be realised in Europe, because getting an automatic signalling system to work over a long distance is difficult to achieve.

There is also the issue that while it might be easy to design an automated railway line from scratch, upgrading existing lines is more complicated.

 

[duesselmartin]

it does not sound like a driverless system as a driver would still be there to intervene. A system used on many high speed trains now.
So more like an auto-pilot?

 

[Adlington]

The Alstom site is a bit more specific:

Alstom has signed an agreement with the Dutch infrastructure operator ProRail and Rotterdam Rail Feeding to perform Automatic Train Operation (ATO) tests in 2018. The ATO system automates the train driver’s operations while he focuses on supervision tasks.[....] The purpose of the tests is to perform a live demonstration with a locomotive running in ATO from the Rotterdam Harbour district to CUP Valburg in the eastern part of the Netherlands. The locomotive, provided by RRF, will run approximately 100 km without driver intervention on rail sections equipped with two different ERTMS levels (1 and 2).

 

[WatcherZero]

it does not sound like a driverless system as a driver would still be there to intervene. A system used on many high speed trains now.
So more like an auto-pilot?

Once operational more like the DLR with a staff member being onboard in an emergency or breakdown but having no influence on the driving of the train.

 

[Adlington]

First really fully unmanned goods train journey took place in Australia, on the Rio Tinto owned railway:

Rio Tinto is celebrating its first fully unmanned rail journey at its Pilbara iron ore operations as the mining giant targets a fully autonomous train network in the region by late 2018.

The pilot run, part of the miner’s so-called AutoHaul program, was completed without a driver on board, making it the first fully autonomous heavy haul train journey ever completed in Australia.

The journey was completed safely, being closely monitored in real-time by Rio Tinto teams and representatives of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, both on the ground and at the mining giant’s operations centre at Perth Airport.

The train travelled nearly 100km from Wombat Junction to Paraburdoo

 

[MarcVD]

it does not sound like a driverless system as a driver would still be there to intervene. A system used on many high speed trains now.

Many ? Like, for exemple ? In Europe ?

 

[AlexNL]

In Germany many ICE high speed trains run semi automatic, thanks to the LZB and CIR-ELKE II safety systems.

 

[Adlington]

Semiautomatic = driver present.

 

[33Hz]

Is this the worst example of "BBC-ing" a picture ever?

 

[duesselmartin]

Also seen an online report with an American freight train.
I guess many readers wouldn't know the difference.

 

[33Hz]

My first thought was "no way is that the Netherlands, looks like Switzerland". It took a couple more looks before it clicked that it was a passenger train, and that yes it was definitely Swiss!

 

[AlexNL]

At least it's an Alstom-built train...