Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara-made rail car built by Gemco in Karratha

Rio Tinto has celebrated a major milestone in its drive to strengthen local manufacturing in Western Australia, with the first Pilbara-made iron ore rail car rolling off the production line at Gemco Rail’s new Karratha facility. The milestone is part of a A$150 million partnership with Australian rail industry supplier Gemco Rail to build 100 iron ore rail cars in the state.

This first Karratha-produced rail car follows the earlier completion of 40 Western Australian–made rail cars at Gemco Rail’s Perth operations this year. The remaining units will now be manufactured at the purpose-built facility in Karratha, marking a significant shift toward regional production capability.

To support the transition, Rio Tinto and Gemco Rail relocated key assembly machinery and bearing-refurbishment equipment from Perth to the new workshop. The Karratha facility is expected to create up to 25 local jobs as production ramps up.

The new rail cars—each capable of carrying up to 118 tonnes of iron ore—will begin hauling material from Rio Tinto’s 18 Pilbara mines to its Dampier and Cape Lambert port facilities.