The hype was genuine enthusiasm, the reality is somewhat Sisyphean :(
replyeg: Fortescue- Feb 2026
Fortescue launched two battery-electric locomotives this week, rounding out its fleet of 70 diesel-powered machines hauling precious iron-ore from pit to port.
The pair [ of battery powered locomotives ] will save the company 1 million litres of diesel each year, still just a fraction of the 80 million litres the company consumes annually.
... the company's stalled "Infinity Train" concept.
Andrew Forrest had previously touted an in-house electric rail model, developed with Australian engineering firm Downer Group, that generated all the power it needed using the uphill-downhill dynamics of the Pilbara ranges.
The project was canned, however, in September, axing more than 100 staff.
Definitely going for it, still a ways to go.
Fortescue's hydrogen generation pilot plants went well and have closed up shop - the economics are "close" but not "feasible" in the current climate - still too many subsidies for Chevron and LNG and too few for novel gas startups that need a full stack to function (generation + storage + usage).