At 8:36 a.m. on September 26, accompanied by a flute sound, a driverless heavy-haul train with a gross weight of 10,800 tonnes, departed from the second-largest channel for West-to-East coal transportation, Huanghua South Station of the Shuohuang Railway. After two hours and 30 minutes of smooth operation, the train arrived at Dongying West Station on the Huanghua-Dajiawa Line and stopped at the designated location on time, marking the success of the trial run of the driverless heavy-haul train.
With key technologies and management & control systems independently developed, the driverless heavy-haul train introduces new business models featuring digital simulation, intelligent driving, remote control, centralized dispatching, integrated monitoring, and streamlined on-site staffing. It represents China’s first intelligent heavy-haul transportation paradigm with centralized control at stations and full-system innovation of smart train driving. The trial pioneered three innovative technologies—comprehensive support and simulation, remote control and autonomous driving, and integrated space-air-vehicle-ground safety monitoring—filling critical gaps in the industry and establishing an innovative transportation management system with constant innovation and iterative improvement. The broad application of the driverless driving technology is projected to boost the efficiency of the Shuohuang Railway, reduce operational costs and decrease average traction energy consumption by 2.9%, with a reduction in the number of crew members by 30 people annually and a cut in labor costs by 12 million yuan.
The trial run also achieved a full upgrading of the “train-ground-network” system, enabling autonomous driving, intelligent operation and maintenance, dispatch and centralized control. The system integrates real-time monitoring of train operations, intelligent detection of infrastructure, and “dynamic, static and variable” full element control of functions including proactive train route recognition, remote monitoring, and rear-end remote control, ensuring safer and more reliable train operations while making management more flexible and efficient. Progress from autonomous driving to driverless driving on heavy-haul railways marks a significant step toward the intelligent, unmanned, and digital development of China’s heavy-haul railways.
In addition, the trial run employed a pioneering digital simulation platform for multi-dimensional train-ground information exchanges. The platform is the first one in China for driverless heavy-haul railway operation, ensuring full control over critical systems and technologies, and promoting the development of intelligent driving technology in heavy-haul rail transportation.
