Longest trains
Encyclopedia
Conventional freight trains can average nearly 2,000 metres. Freight trains with a total length of three or four times that average are possible with the advent of DPUs (distributed-power units), or additional locomotive engines between or behind long chains of freight cars (referred to as a "consist"). These DPUs 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. 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 power considerations. Drawgear and couplings
can be a limiting factor, tied in with curves, gradients and crossing loop lengths.
Indian Railways
term this as increased vehicle length (IVL). This reduces the traffic in this single-lined region; two goods train attached back to back, each train is led by two locomotives. The hardest thing is to get the whole train in one frame.
Soviet Union
The longest and heaviest freight train ran on February 20, 1986 from Ekibastuz to the Urals, was carried out with the coal train. The composition consisted of 439 wagons and several diesel locomotives distributed along the train. The mass of is 43,400 tonnes and the total length of 6.5 km (4.03 mi).
The length of passenger trains generally has to match the length of platforms, especially high-level platforms. These platforms cannot always be extended to suit extended train lengths due to bridges, tunnels, pointwork, narrowing track centres and stabling yards, though "selective door opening" can help long trains stop at short platforms.
Run on 21 June 2001, comprising 682 wagons and hauled by eight 6000 hp General Electric AC6000CW diesel-electric locomotives controlled by a single driver with a total length of 7.353 km on the 275 km iron ore railway to Port Hedland in Western Australia
– total weight 99,734 tons Sishen
–Saldanha
Run on 26–27 August 1989, comprising 660 railcars, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) long and weighing 69,393 tons, excluding the 16 locomotives (9 50 kV AC electric and 7 diesel-electric).
Run from 8 to 10 January 2010, consisting of 296 container wagons and hauled by nine diesel-electric locomotive spread through the train with a total length of 18000 ft (3.4 mi; 5.5 km), from a terminal in Texas
to Los Angeles. Around 618 double-stacked containers were carried at speeds up to 70 mph/112 km/h. 14,059 t.
BNSF 2010 - 3.03 km
–Breda
Run on 19 February 1989, as a test and publicity stunt what would become the longest passenger train in the world. The train was pulled by one 1500 V DC locomotive and had 60 passenger cars, of which only the first 14 cars held actual passengers during the run. Ghent
–Oostende On 27 April 1991, one electric loco and 70 passenger cars (totalling 1733 m and 2786 ton, excluding locomotive) held a charity run for the Belgian Cancer Fund, thereby exceeding the Dutch record.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
may be measured in number of wagons (for bulk loads such as coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
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 power considerations. Drawgear and couplings
Coupling (railway)
A coupling is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together.The equipment that connects the couplings to the...
can be a limiting factor, tied in with curves, gradients and crossing loop lengths.
Bulk cargo
except where shown.- Australia
- Rio TintoRio Tinto GroupThe Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
—29,500 tonnes of iron ore—2.4 km, three locomotives - BHP BillitonBHP BillitonBHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
Iron Ore typically 336 cars, 44,500 tonnes of iron ore, over 3 km long, six to eight locomotives including intermediate remote units. - Leigh Creek coal - 2.8 km, 161 wagons and 2 locos.
- Rio Tinto
- Brazil
- Carajás Railway—2.1 km, 23,000 t, plans to be extended—
- Carajás Railway to be extended to take 330-car trains, each 3km long.
- China
- Daqin RailwayDaqin RailwayDaqin Railway , also known as the Daqin Line , is a 653 km coal-transport railway in north China. Its name is derived from its two terminal cities, Datong, a coal mining center in Shanxi province, and Qinhuangdao, of Hebei province, on the Bohai Sea.The railway also passes through the...
Coal trains - 20,000 t, 3.2 km, 210 wagons
- Daqin Railway
- MauritaniaTransport in Mauritania- Railways :*717 km total of single track , owned and operated by a government mining company, Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière...
—3 km—iron ore from ZouératZouératZouérat is the largest town in northern Mauritania and is the capital of Tiris Zemmour with an approximate population of 38,000 . It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway to Nouadhibou.- Overview :... - IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(proposed)- Muara Wahau coal to Bengalon port - 2196m
General cargo
- United States are limited by air brake capability.
- 3658 m – electronically controlled pneumatic brakedElectronically controlled pneumatic brakesElectronically controlled pneumatic brakes are a type of modern railway braking system which offer improved performance compared to traditional pneumatic brakes.- Overview :...
(180 wagons) – AARAssociation of American RailroadsThe Association of American Railroads is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight railroads of North America . Amtrak and some regional commuter railroads are also members...
Standard S-4200.
- 3658 m – electronically controlled pneumatic braked
- Canada
- double stack container trains reaching 4200 m are regularly operated by Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
system wide with distributed powerDistributed powerIn rail transport distributed power refers to the placing of additional locomotives at intermediate points in the middle of the train, remotely controlled from the leading locomotive, to allow longer trains where operational considerations or economics require it. Distributed power thus describes...
locomotives. General cargo trains are limited to 3700 m, and bulk trains are limited to 3000 m but up to 20,700 tonnes
- double stack container trains reaching 4200 m are regularly operated by Canadian National Railway
- 1800 m – Australia—ParkesParkes, New South Wales- Transport :Parkes has a local bus service provided by Western Road Liners, which acquired Harris Bus Lines in March 2006. The Indian Pacific also stops twice a week, as well as the Broken Hill Outback Xplorer service, run by CountryLink, which heads to Broken Hill on Mondays and Sydney on...
–PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
–AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
–DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
—(limited by 1800 m crossing loops) - 1500 m – Australia—AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
–MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
–SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
–BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
—(limited by 1500 m crossing loops; some loops to be extended to 1800m) - 1500 m – UICInternational Union of RailwaysThe UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
standard double length train - 1222 m -The Bangalore-Dharamawaram Goods Train (India) - The train runs from Bangalore-Dharamawaram almost every day. There is no stop for this train, and there is no railway station on this route which can accommodate the whole train on a single track or platform. So all the Superfast, Express trains including the longest passenger train the 31-coacher Gomti express is sent to loop line.
Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
term this as increased vehicle length (IVL). This reduces the traffic in this single-lined region; two goods train attached back to back, each train is led by two locomotives. The hardest thing is to get the whole train in one frame.
Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
The longest and heaviest freight train ran on February 20, 1986 from Ekibastuz to the Urals, was carried out with the coal train. The composition consisted of 439 wagons and several diesel locomotives distributed along the train. The mass of is 43,400 tonnes and the total length of 6.5 km (4.03 mi).
- 1000 m
- the Netherlands–Germany—trial trains of this length
- Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
1000m double stack - Germany, trials, up from 750 m and 850 m between HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and RingstedRingstedRingsted, a city in Ringsted municipality, is in the middle of the Danish island of Zealand. The municipal population is about 31,000 and the city population is 21,151 .Ringsted is approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.-Modern hotspot:...
in Denmark. (mostly double track, short single track sections. Crossing between 1000 m trains must be avoided on single track)
- 800 m - RVR in East Africa (Kenya–Uganda) to introduce longer trains, which needs longer crossing loops.
- 750 m – Normal for mainlines in several countries in Europe.
- 750 m – UICInternational Union of RailwaysThe UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
standard single length train - 400 m – New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
steam era, where lengths also limited by practical length of crossing loops mechanically operated from signal boxSignal boxOn a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
es.
Passenger
- India – 24 coaches (approximately 480 m)
- the Netherlands - 12 bilevel coaches (2 NS VIRMNS VIRMThe NS DD-IRM, full name Dubbeldeksinterregiomaterieel, Electric Multiple Units trains were built by De Dietrich or Talbot between 1994 and 2009. They operate in the Netherlands and are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.-First generation:...
trains combined) - Sweden – 17 coaches (26.7 m each plus two Rc locomotives at 15.4 m) – 484 m between StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and LuleåLuleå- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden.... - Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands – 2 ICE 3ICE 3ICE 3 is a family of high-speed EMUs of Deutsche Bahn. It includes classes 403 and 406, which are known as ICE 3 and ICE 3M respectively...
trains combined – 402 m - United Kingdom, Belgium, France – Eurostar / British Rail Class 373British Rail Class 373The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
(20 cars multiple unit) – 394 m - United States — Auto TrainAuto TrainAuto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...
between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida — total of 42 coaches, including 15 passenger coaches and 27 auto carriers.
The length of passenger trains generally has to match the length of platforms, especially high-level platforms. These platforms cannot always be extended to suit extended train lengths due to bridges, tunnels, pointwork, narrowing track centres and stabling yards, though "selective door opening" can help long trains stop at short platforms.
Ore
BHPBHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
Run on 21 June 2001, comprising 682 wagons and hauled by eight 6000 hp General Electric AC6000CW diesel-electric locomotives controlled by a single driver with a total length of 7.353 km on the 275 km iron ore railway to Port Hedland in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
– total weight 99,734 tons Sishen
Sishen
Sishen is a town in Northern Cape, South Africa. It is the location of a large iron ore mine.- Transport :The mine is connected to the port of Saldanha Bay by the Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line. The line is electrified at 50 kV AC and the trains using this line are amongst the heaviest trains in the...
–Saldanha
Saldanha, Western Cape
Saldanha, also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 22,000 people, located north of Cape Town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of iron ore from Sishen in...
Run on 26–27 August 1989, comprising 660 railcars, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) long and weighing 69,393 tons, excluding the 16 locomotives (9 50 kV AC electric and 7 diesel-electric).
General cargo
Union PacificUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
Run from 8 to 10 January 2010, consisting of 296 container wagons and hauled by nine diesel-electric locomotive spread through the train with a total length of 18000 ft (3.4 mi; 5.5 km), from a terminal in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Los Angeles. Around 618 double-stacked containers were carried at speeds up to 70 mph/112 km/h. 14,059 t.
BNSF 2010 - 3.03 km
Passenger
KijfhoekKijfhoek (classification yard)
Kijfhoek classification yard is a hump yard type freight rail yard near Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The rail yard is named to the nearby small village Kijfhoek, now belonging to the municipality Zwijndrecht. With an area of 50 hectares Kijfhoek is the largest of the few railway yards left in the...
–Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
Run on 19 February 1989, as a test and publicity stunt what would become the longest passenger train in the world. The train was pulled by one 1500 V DC locomotive and had 60 passenger cars, of which only the first 14 cars held actual passengers during the run. Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
–Oostende On 27 April 1991, one electric loco and 70 passenger cars (totalling 1733 m and 2786 ton, excluding locomotive) held a charity run for the Belgian Cancer Fund, thereby exceeding the Dutch record.
See also
- Distributed powerDistributed powerIn rail transport distributed power refers to the placing of additional locomotives at intermediate points in the middle of the train, remotely controlled from the leading locomotive, to allow longer trains where operational considerations or economics require it. Distributed power thus describes...
—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. - Heaviest trainsHeaviest trainsThe heaviest trains in the world are freight trains hauling bulk commodities such as coal and iron ore. One might distinguish between regular operations, and occasional record breaking runs...
- High-speed railHigh-speed railHigh-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
- Track gauge
- Extreme TrainsExtreme TrainsExtreme Trains is a television program on The History Channel that describes the daily operations of the railroads in the United States of America, from coal trains to passenger trains and famous routes...
on the History Channel 2009 - List of steepest gradients on adhesion railways
- Longest train journeysLongest train journeysThis article list longest passenger rail services currently operating and running directly between two cities. It is a collation list of train services and routes that are stopping and non-stop from a distance and time perspective.- Records :...
(passenger)