Kinney County, TX, July 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COAST Autonomous (“COAST”) announced today that Harbor Rail Services of California (“Harbor Rail”) has selected COAST to deploy self-driving vehicles at the Kinney County Railport (“KCRP”), which Harbor Rail operates for Union Pacific Railroad.
This groundbreaking collaboration is the first deployment of self-driving vehicles at a US rail yard. Harbor Rail and COAST teams have identified a number of areas where self-driving vehicles can add value, including staff transportation, delivery of supplies and equipment, perimeter security and lawn mowing. COAST has completed 3D mapping of the facility, a first step in any such deployment, and the first self-driving vehicle is expected to begin service at KCRP next month.
“Through the introduction of re-designed trucks, innovative process improvements and adoption of data-driven KPIs, Harbor Rail successfully reduced railcar rejections rates from 30% to 0.03% in KCRP’s first year of operations,” said Mark Myronowicz, President of Harbor Rail. “However, I am always looking for ways to improve our performance and provide an even better service for our customers. At a large facility like KCRP, we have many functions that I am convinced can be carried out by COAST vehicles. This will free up additional labor to work on railcars, make us even more efficient, help keep the facility safe at night and even cut the grass when most of us are asleep. This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate Harbor Rail’s commitment to being at the forefront of innovation and customer service.”
“This is an exciting moment for COAST and we are looking forward to working with Harbor Rail’s industry-leading team,” said David M. Hickey, Chairman and CEO of COAST Autonomous. KCRP is exactly the type of facility that will show how self-driving technology can improve efficiency and cut costs. While the futuristic vision of driverless cars has grabbed most of the headlines, COAST’s team has been focused on useful mobility solutions that can actually be deployed and create tremendous value for private sites, campuses and urban centers. Just as railroads are often the unsung heroes of the logistics industry, COAST-powered vehicles will happily go about their jobs unnoticed and quietly change the world.”
A photo of the COAST mapping operation can be found here.
About Harbor Rail and KCRP
Harbor Rail is a leading railcar repair provider. The company operates railcar repair facilities across the United States, including the Kinney County Railport, a state-of-the-art railcar repair facility that Harbor Rail operates for Union Pacific Railroad near the US-Mexico border. KCRP is located on 470 acres of property owned by Union Pacific, the largest railroad in North America. The facility preps and prepares railcars to meet food-grade guidelines, so they are ready to be loaded with packaged beer in Mexico and return to the United States with product for distribution.
About COAST Autonomous
COAST Autonomous is a software and technology company focused on delivering AV solutions at appropriate speeds for urban and campus environments. COAST’s mission is to build community by connecting people with mobility solutions that put pedestrians first and give cities back to people. At the center of one of the fastest and most profound disruptions to impact the transportation and logistics industries, COAST has developed the full stack of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) software that includes mapping and localization, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), fleet management and supervision systems. Partnering with proven manufacturers, COAST can provide a variety of vehicles equipped with its best-in-class software to offer Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions to cities, theme parks, campuses, airports, and other urban environments. Based in Pasadena, California, COAST’s team is recognized for its experience and expertise in all aspects of implementing and operating AV fleets while prioritizing safety and the user experience. To learn how COAST Autonomous can help you power autonomous transportation in your environment, please visit www.coastautonomous.com.
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