USA: The initial round of testing is currently underway on a temporarily severed 3.2 km section of a Genesee and Wyoming, G&W, short line in Georgia. The tests are supervised by the Federal Railroad Administration, FRA. The first phase is designed to test the empty rail vehicle and its associated computer and telemetry systems.
The American start-up Parallel Systems has spent several years developing autonomous container transport technology and tests it on a California test track. The vehicles represent two driverless platooning battery-powered two-axle bogies.
Testing of an autonomous vehicle from Parallel Systems in Georgia. Source: Parallel Systems
The FRA-approved testing programme on G&W tracks comprises seven phases. The final phase will evaluate platooning with loaded containers and its trial freight operation on a 257.5 km line section. Concurrently, the Australian infrastructure operator Arc Infrastructure is conducting similar technology tests.
