Intramotev to deploy autonomous railcars in Missouri

Saint Louis-based Intramotev has been selected as the technology partner for a $16.2 million federally funded project to implement robotic locomotives on Missouri’s Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT).

Supported by a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, the project will deploy two TugVolt autonomous railcars on the 21.4-mile line between Centralia and Columbia. The initiative will proceed in phases, starting with remote switching at the Columbia terminal before advancing to autonomous freight service across the full mainline and public crossings.

The program aims to establish a safety record that can serve as a template for the more than 600 short-line railroads in the United States to adopt autonomous technology.