Rio Tinto intends to purchase a further 30 GE Evolution Series locomotives in 2008, of which 12 will replace the Dash 7 and Dash 8 locomotives purchased by Hamersley Iron and Robe River, which are now more than 30 years old. The remainder will cater for expanding production. The new locomotives use a 12-cylinder, 4,500-hp engine that offers improved fuel efficiency and more flexible maintenance requirements.

Jack Sato, managing director of Robe River and Pilbara infrastructure said: “The new locomotives represent a significant investment for our rail operations and a vital cog in our expansion of Pilbara operations. The first 10 will be used to help support the increase in annual port capacity to 220 million tons of ore next year. The additional eco-friendly locomotives will significantly advance our build-up to annual port capacity of 320 million tons by 2012, and 420 million tons after that.”

The locomotives will be brought into operation quickly, said Richard Cohen, general manager Railways Division. “An early-production opportunity has enabled us to take delivery of the next 15 locomotives ahead of schedule,” Cohen said. “By the end of 2008 our fleet will have expanded from 86 to well over a hundred locomotives, with significant positive flow-on effects arising from a more modern fleet. Along with innovations such as Automatic Train Operation and the Remote Operations Center, the new locomotives demonstrate how our rail system, which is one of the largest privately owned heavy haulage networks in the world, is at the cutting edge of technological advancement.”

The upgrade of the locomotive fleet is in tandem with the addition of 1,200 new ore cars in 2008, about 500 to cater for expansion and another 700 to replace the aging cars that have been operating for up to 40 years. As with the locomotives, fleet maintenance and performance will be significantly improved with the investment.