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China Tests Wireless Rail System for Freight Convoys

The wireless system synchronized seven freight trains totaling 35,000 tons, potentially boosting rail freight capacity by over 50%, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

  • On December 8, 2025, China completed a world-first 35,000-ton hook-free heavy-haul train test on the Baoshen Railway, operating entirely via wireless signals.
  • Faced with rising freight demand and costly track construction, China Shenhua Energy Company tested two lighter convoys earlier this year, while Central South University research urged longer trains or reduced intervals.
  • Technical briefings said continuous wireless commands replace fixed mechanical hooks and use train-to-ground and train-to-train communication to integrate relative speed and absolute distance, sharply cutting braking distance and preventing collisions, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
  • The trial immediately points to boosting China’s freight capacity by over 50%, increasing busy junctions and stations’ throat capacity, and accelerating deployment on major coal and cargo routes, state broadcaster CCTV said.
  • Experts say the trial positions China as the first to operate heavy freight trains in synchronized formation without mechanical coupling, and Sun Zhang noted it could reshape the global heavy-haul railway industry while fitting China Railway Express's expansion across Asia and Europe.
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CGTN broke the news in Beijing, China on Monday, December 8, 2025.
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