Fortescue Halts Gravity Train Project Amid Rising Costs

Fortescue, an Australian mining firm, has suspended planning for its gravity train project to reconsider its decarbonization strategy and mitigate fiscal risk. The move came amid test results that were unable to prove the desired energy efficiency.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Fortescue Gravity Train Fails to Meet Expectations

The Fortescue gravity train project was one of the biggest sustainability projects undertaken at the mining company. The firm aimed at utilizing battery-driven locomotives that would harness energy for descending loads of train to the ports and utilize it for the up journey to the mining areas. The move aimed to do away with diesel consumption and produce zero emissions.

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Fortescue invested $50 million to purchase UK-based engineering company Williams Advanced Engineering to beef up technology. In partnership with the Downer Group, it constructed a prototype locomotive and started to test. The result came up short—energy harvested when descending proved not to be enough for the up-grade run for the empties.

Engineers suggested the use of several locomotives, but certain routes would not have been economically feasible with up to nine units, and the weighty coupling load jeopardized derailment and necessitated Fortescue to shorten train lengths, derogating transport profitability.

Fortescue Explores Alternatives to the Gravity Train

The company bosses pointed out that the process of building new technology requires time and rigorous testing. Fortescue is dedicated to emissions reduction and is now working on other options — from future battery systems to the employment of ammonia as a clean energy source.

The Fortescue Ferry transports over 200 million tons of iron ore each year for hundreds of kilometers from the mines to the export ports. Its trains are 2.8 km long, 34,000 tons cargo-carrying, and 80 million liters diesel-burning per year. The shift to cleaner propulsion is now a strategic objective, for reduction to carbon-neutral operations directly impinges on Fortescue’s competitiveness at the international level.

Analysts highlight that the project illuminated the enormity of decarbonizing heavy rail freight. Fortescue also now focuses on technology diversification and improvements to ammonia-based power systems, with good prospects for industrial rail applications.

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