The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded the City of Columbia, Missouri, a 16.2 million USD grant to modernise its Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT), including the deployment of autonomous freight railcars developed by Intramotev.
Intramotev will act as the technology partner for the project, deploying two of its TugVolt autonomous railcars on COLT’s 21.4-mile (34.4 km) line between Centralia and Columbia. The funding comes through the FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) programme.
The project will introduce the technology in phases under an FRA-approved test programme. Initial operations will focus on remote switching at COLT’s Columbia terminal, before progressing towards autonomous freight services across the full line, including public level crossings.
The grant will also fund track and infrastructure improvements.
Autonomous Freight Operations
The project aims to generate safety and operational data that could help other US short-line railways assess the adoption of autonomous railcars. The US has more than 600 short-line railways, which provide freight connections for businesses and communities outside the main national rail networks.
Both TugVolt railcars will be built at Intramotev’s facility in St Louis, Missouri.
Tim Luchini, Intramotev’s CEO said:Short lines keep America’s small cities and rural communities connected to the freight network. Autonomous railcars can help them serve more customers, more often, at lower cost, and this program will show what that looks like on a working mainline. We’re proud to partner with the City of Columbia and COLT, and grateful to FRA for its support of this important milestone for the rail industry.
COLT is a municipally owned short-line railway operated by Columbia City Utilities. It has connected Columbia to the national rail network for nearly 40 years.
