Transnet Freight Rail says it ran a 7.6-kilometer train with 696 empty wagons on Oct. 17-18, calling the formation a new freight-train length record after using the trip to assess its performance on South Africa’s iron ore route.
The train traveled from Saldanha Bay to Loop 18 in the Northern Cape. Transnet described the run as an engineering evaluation of train design, handling and performance, as well as a record attempt.
Electric and diesel-electric locomotives positioned along the formation were connected through Radio Distributed Power. The system distributes traction and braking forces across the train. Transnet Chief Executive Russell Baatjies said the exercise yielded “technical knowledge and operational insights.”
The operator plans to compare data collected from the locomotives with simulation results. It has not announced when that analysis will be completed.
The claimed length is greater than the current record shown on Guinness World Records’ public listing. Guinness identifies a 7.353-kilometer BHP Iron Ore train with 682 ore cars, operated in Australia in 2001, as the longest freight train. The record body cautions that its online listings may not reflect changes immediately.
International Railway Journal reported that independent certification of Transnet’s claim had not been confirmed. Guinness’ public listing does not establish whether an application from Transnet has been submitted or is under review. For now, the company’s next stated step is to compare the trial’s locomotive data with simulations.
