According to a report in China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, the country’s first unmanned mining train has been produced at a factory in central China’s Hunan Province. The train’s transmission system features new intelligent control technology, according to Huang Guoxing, Chief Engineer with Hunan Xiangtan Hauling Machine Plant, where the locomotive was manufactured. Huang added that other advanced technologies including computer control, wireless communication and a control area network – a method for enabling robust serial communication in industrial automation and automotive applications – were also integrated in the train.

Jointly designed by Hunan Xiangtan Hauling Machine Plant and China Enfi Engineering Corp, it will first be put into use in a copper mine in east China’s Anhui province. Huang said the train would reduce energy costs by 30% in comparison with traditional mining locomotives. Also, the risks of human injury are eliminated as no drivers are needed for the vehicle during normal mining activities. With a haulage capacity of 20 t, the train is capable of self-diagnosis when it breaks down and relaying these messages to a control centre.