Longest trains explained

The length of a train may be measured in number of wagons (for bulk loads such as coal and iron ore) or in metres for general freight. Train lengths and loads on electrified railways, especially lower voltage 3000 V DC and 1500 V DC, are limited by traction and power considerations. Drawgear and couplings can also be a limiting factor, along with curves, gradients and crossing loop lengths.

Very long freight trains with a total length of 3km (02miles) or more are possible with the advent of distributed power, or additional locomotive units between or behind long chains of freight cars (referred to as a "consist"). Additional locomotive units enable much longer, heavier loads without the increased risks of derailing that stem from the stress of pulling very long chains of train-cars around curves.

Bulk

• Australia
  • BHP iron ore train has typically 268 cars and a train weight of 43,000 tonnes carrying 24,200 tonnes of iron ore, long, two SD70ACe locomotives at the head of the train and two remote controlled SD70ACe locomotives as mid-train helpers.^[1]
    • BHP used to run 44,500-tonne, 336-car long iron ore trains over long, with six to eight locomotives including an intermediate remote unit. This operation seems to have ceased since the trunk line was fully double tracked in May 2011.^[2]
    • The record-breaking ore train from the same company, 682 cars and long, once carried 82,000 metric tons of ore for a total weight of the train, largest in the world, of 99,734 tonnes. It was driven by eight locomotives distributed along its length to keep the coupling loads and curve performance controllable.^[3]
  • Leigh Creek coal—, formerly ran as 161 wagons and three locomotives.^{[4] [5]}
  • Cane tramway – 75 wagons (gauge).^[6]
• Brazil
  • Carajás Railway gauge iron ore trains are typically 330 cars long, totaling in length.^[7]
  • VLI Grain with 160 hopper cars, or 80 hoppers plus 72 FTTs (for pulp transport) totaling about long.^[8]
• China
  • Datong–Qinhuangdao railway is a dedicated coal-transport railway. Every day 50 pairs of 2.6km (01.6miles) long trains consisting of 210 wagons and two HXD1 locomotives use the line. Each train hauls over 20,000 tons of coal.^{[9] [10] [11]}
  • Shuozhou–Huanghua railway is a heavy haul freight railway that has successfully tested 30,000 ton coal trains that stretch over 4km (02miles) in April 2024. The train consists of 324 cars wagons hauled with four China Energy Investment HXD1 variants.^{[12] [13]}
• India
  • Indian Railways operated the longest train in India on 15 August 2022. The 'Super Vasuki' freight train was 3.5km (02.2miles) long had a total of 6 locomotives pulling 295 wagons of coal.^[14]
• Indonesia (proposed)
  • Muara Wahau coal to Bengalon port – ^[15]
  • Super Babaranjang 120 cars testing. The testing train consisted of 120 coal cars with 4 EMD G26 leading. The consist was roughly 1.7km (01.1miles) long.
• Mauritania
  • Iron ore trains on the Mauritania Railway are up to in length. They consist of 3 or 4 diesel-electric EMD locomotives, 200 to 210 cars each carrying up to 84 tons of iron ore, and 2-3 service cars.
• South Africa
  • Sishen–Saldanha railway line ore trains on – ^[16]
• Ukraine
  • 12,000 tonnes ^[17]

General

• 20000feet – United States – a June 2024 third-party study over 10 days in Arizona found that Union Pacific routinely runs intermodal trains of more than in length, of which the longest was a 20000feet carrying 506 containers in 280 well cars.^[18]
• 1524m (5,000feet) – France – intermediate locomotive – trial^[19]
• 1222m (4,009feet) – The Bangalore–Dharmavaram goods train (India)^[20]
• 1000m (3,000feet)
  • The Netherlands–Germany—trial trains of this length^[21]
  • Saudi Arabia double stack^[22]
• 900m (3,000feet) — Babaranjang Baratarahan from Tanjung Enim Coal Mine to Tarahan Port, Indonesia. 2 or 3 locomotive and 60 to 61 coal wagons.
• 835m (2,740feet) — In Denmark and to Hamburg, Germany; 2 locomotives and 82 wagons.^{[23] [24]}

Special test runs

These are one-off runs, sometimes specifically to set records.

Bulk (ore, coal etc)

• BHP run on 21 June 2001, comprising 682 wagons and hauled by eight General Electric GE AC6000CW diesel-electric locomotives controlled by a single driver with a total length of 7.3522NaN2 on the 2752NaN2 iron ore railway to Port Hedland in Western Australia – total weight 99,734 tons on a gauge line.^[25]
• Datong–Qinhuangdao railway, China. On 2 April 2014, an experimental train ran with 320 wagons and six locomotives hauling a 31,500 ton load, with a total length of 3.971km (02.467miles).^[26]
• Sishen–Saldanha, South Africa. Run on 26–27 August 1989, comprising 660 wagons, 7.302km (04.537miles) long and a total weight of 71,765 tons on a gauge line. The train comprised 16 locomotives (9 Class 9E 50 kV AC electric and 7 Class 37 diesel-electric).^{[27] [28]}
• Bulk coal train from Ekibastuz to the Urals, Soviet Union, 20 February 1986. The train consisted of 439 wagons and several diesel locomotives distributed along the train with a total mass of 43,400 tonnes and a total length of .^[29]
• A 1991 test train pulled by two British Rail Class 59 diesel locomotives, weighing 12,108 tonnes and approximately 1.652NaN2 long, was pulled with moderate success from Merehead Quarry to Witham Friary.^[30]
• Norfolk and Western Railway unit coal train from Iaeger, West Virginia to Portsmouth, Ohio, 15 November 1967. The train consisted of 500 cars and six EMD SD45 diesel-electric locomotives distributed throughout the train for a total weight of 48,170 tons and total length of .^[31]

General cargo

• Union Pacific, United States. Run from 8–10 January 2010, consisting of 296 container cars and hauled by nine diesel-electric locomotive spread through the train with a total length of 18061feet, from a terminal in Texas to Los Angeles. Around 618 double-stacked containers weighing 14,059 t were carried at speeds up to .^{[32] [33]}
• BNSF, United States, 10 July 2009—3.6km (02.2miles), 458 container units powered by seven locomotives^[34]

Passenger

• Kijfhoek–Eindhoven, Netherlands. In 1989, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) celebrated their 150th anniversary. On 19 February 1989, NS ran a test train with 60 passenger cars (1602m (5,256feet) long and weighing 2,597 tons), of which only the first 14 cars held actual passengers, pulled by one 1500 V DC locomotive.^[35] Twenty years later, in 2009, Railz Miniworld repeated the stunt on a smaller scale, inside their exhibition in Rotterdam.^[36]
• Ghent–Ostend, Belgium. On 27 April 1991, one electric locomotive and 70 passenger cars (totalling 17332NaN2 and 2786 tons, excluding the locomotive) held a charity run for the Belgian Cancer Fund, exceeding the Dutch record.
• Rhaetian Railway, Switzerland. On 29 October 2022, the Rhaetian Railway celebrated the 175th anniversary of Swiss railways with an hour-long, 25km (16miles) journey from Preda to Alvaneu in southeast Switzerland. The train had 25 4-car ABe 4/16 "Capricorn" EMUs, totalling 100 coaches with a total length of 1910m (6,270feet); it ran on a narrow-gauge railway over several switchbacks and long curves.^{[37] [38]}

See also

• Distributed power—Where operational considerations or economics require it, trains can be made longer if intermediate locomotives are inserted in the train and remotely controlled from the leading locomotive.
• High-speed rail
• Track gauge
• Extreme Trains on the History Channel 2009
• List of steepest gradients on adhesion railways
• International Heavy Haul Association
• Longest road trains

Notes and References

1. According to count of visible cars in Google Earth imagery of April 2015.
2. Web site: BHP RGP5 Railway. Pilbara Region. Australia. 2016-01-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20160803181812/http://www.laingorourke.com/our-work/all-projects/bhp-rgp5-railway.aspx. 3 August 2016. dead.
3. BHP breaks its own 'heaviest train' record. Railway Gazette International. 1 August 2001. 0373-5346. 2016-01-07. 7 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107175613/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/bhp-breaks-its-own-39heaviest-train39-record.html. live.
4. Web site: The longest coal train in the world?. Pom Gone Walkabout. 2010-05-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080908081006/http://www.pomgonewalkabout.com/Page3.htm . 8 September 2008.
5. News: Leigh Creek Coal Now Major Asset. . . Adelaide . 7 October 1954 . 3 October 2012 . 3.
6. [Light Railways]
7. Web site: Estrada de Ferro Carajás. https://web.archive.org/web/20100706011111/http://www.vale.com/pt-br/o-que-fazemos/logistica/ferrovias/estrada-de-ferro-carajas/paginas/default.aspx. 6 July 2010. pt.
8. Web site: VLI começa operar frota de locomotivas da Ferrovia Norte Sul. pt. 18 December 2015. 22 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222165322/http://www.oprogressonet.com/geral/vli-comeca-operar-frota-de-locomotivas-da-ferrovia-norte-sul/47105.html. live.
9. Web site: 2万吨重载！中国最长火车有多难开？全国只有600多人有资格. 2022-09-05. 2022-03-30. 凤凰网. zh.
10. Web site: sina_mobile . 2021-11-19 . 来数车厢！中国最长的火车，总长度约2614.3米，平均12分钟开出一趟！ . 2024-08-05 . finance.sina.cn.
11. Web site: 张天磊 . “中国重载第一路”大秦铁路2023年货运量超4亿吨 . 2024-08-05 . cn.chinadaily.com.cn.
12. Web site: 戴萌萌 . 总长超4公里！我国最大货运重载列车顺利到达黄骅港站 . 2024-08-05 . news.cctv.com.
13. Web site: 3万吨！我国载重最大货运列车运行试验成功-中国科技网 . 2024-08-05 . www.stdaily.com.
14. Web site: Meet Indian Railways' Super Vasuki: India's longest 3.5 km train with 6 Locos and 295 wagons . zeenews.india.com . 2022-08-17.
15. [Railway Gazette International]
16. Web site: Archived copy . www.ihha2011.org . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190819140347/http://www.ihha2011.org/doc-pdf/heavy_haul_operations_south_africa.pdf . 19 August 2019 . dead.
17. https://en.thepage.ua/economy/ukraines-switch-to-european-railway-gauge Heaviest UA
18. . 0041-0934 . RailState shines spotlight on Union Pacific and BNSF train length in Southwest . limited . 24 June 2024 . Bill . Stephens . 25 June 2024.
19. [Railway Gazette International]
20. India's longest goods train - long - Indian Railways.
21. Modern Railways Jan 2009, p71
22. Railway Gazette International April 2011
23. Web site: 835 m lange Güterzüge zwischen Padborg (DK) und Maschen geplant . fahrweg.dbnetze.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203033204/http://fahrweg.dbnetze.com/fahrweg-de/start/technik/innovationen/2359020/laengere_gueterzuege.html . 3 December 2013.
24. Modern Railways November 2012, p78
25. Web site: Hamersley Freight Line . ailway Technology . 2011-10-17 . 12 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150512100443/http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/hamersley-freight-line/ . live .
26. Web site: 我国铁路成功实现3万吨重载列车试验运行. 2017-02-09. 2014-04-08. 新华网. https://web.archive.org/web/20140823000000/http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-04/08/c_126365538.htm. 2014-08-23. zh.
27. Web site: Four world rain records shattered by the SA Transport Services (1989) . African Rail Industry Association . live . https://archive.today/20120911020439/http://www.rra.co.za/?p=7614 . 2012-09-11.
28. Re: Longest freight train in the U.S. . David . Forsyth . 19 December 1996 . misc.transport.rail.americas . 12 December 2008 . 13 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213100918/http://www.recordholders.org/en/news/news024.html . live .
29. Web site: Kazakhstan railways . 10 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150110234809/http://www.railways.kz/en/node/509 . 10 January 2015 . dead.
30. Book: Peaty . Ian P. . Stone by rail . 2014 . Silver Link Publishing . Kettering . 978-185794-422-8 . 132–133.
31. Web site: Norfolk Southern Corp. www.facebook.com. en. 2019-10-10.
32. News: Rich . Connell . 12 January 2010 . Safety, traffic concerns raised when 3.5-mile-long freight train rolls through L.A. Basin . . 2011-10-17 . 14 January 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100114180139/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/safety-traffic-concerns-raised-when-35mile-freight-train-rolls-through-la-basin.html . dead .
33. 0032-4558 . . Is Bigger Better? 'Monster' Trains vs Freight Trains . dead . Stephen . Joiner . 16 February 2010 . 19 February 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100219214850/http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4345689.html.
34. Web site: Long BNSF Trains. Railways Africa. 27 August 2009. 2010-06-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100810083629/http://www.railwaysafrica.com/2009/08/long-bnsf-trains/ . 10 August 2010.
35. Web site: De langste reizigerstrein ter wereld. nl. 5 September 2009. 15 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090915180607/http://www.feijenoordsemeesters.nl/LRtW/index.html. live.
36. Web site: De langste reizigerstrein ter wereld in Railz Miniworld in Rotterdam. nl. 17 May 2019. 10 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510024729/http://www.feijenoordsemeesters.nl/LRT_RailZ/LRT_RailZ.htm. live.
37. News: Swiss claim record for the world's longest passenger train. SwissInfo. en. 31 October 2022.
38. News: Jones . Ben . 31 October 2022 . Why Switzerland built a 2-kilometer-long train . CNN . 31 October 2022.