Friday, December 15, 2023
ONRSR facilitates demo of clean, green auto wagon
ONRSR was recently on site when Arc Infrastructure publicly revealed its Autonomous Rail Wagon (ARW) concept with a demonstration of the rolling stock’s capabilities at the Kenwick Rail Freight Facility in Perth.
Essentially a set of bogies with a battery electric traction motor powering an individual unit, the rolling stock is capable of being programmed to move autonomously within a set route and has active collision detection equipment installed. The operational concept involves the rolling stock positioning at each end of a shipping container to transfer freight from a port to an intermodal terminal. With zero emissions, the ARW is extremely quiet and capable of operating at speeds of up to 100 kph.
ONRSR, via its Perth Office, has worked with Arc Infrastructure for more than 12 months now to progress safety assurance associated with the new rolling stock to the point where the live demonstration could occur. Following the successful demonstration and testing phase, the next step in the process is the assessment of application for accreditation of the ARW by ONRSR for ongoing operations. ONRSR expects to be presented with the application in the first quarter of 2024.
A key principle of ONRSR’s is encouraging rail transport operators and rail infrastructure managers across all sectors to embrace new technology and to find innovative solutions to safety issues.