“This is a world first,” a spokesperson for Rio Tinto told Digital Trends. “It is the first fully autonomous, long-distance, heavy-haul rail network in the world. The successful deployment is the culmination of a $940 million project and has the potential to transform the productivity and flexibility of the 1,700-kilometer network between our 16 iron ore mines and two ports.” But why turn this job over to machines to run? According to the company representative we contacted, there are several reasons. (And, no, immediately getting rid of employees isn’t one of them. Rio Tinto says that no layoffs are expected...