This Freight Train Claims to Be the Longest Ever. Here's How Long
The record run used 13 locomotives and weighed 15,830 tonnes, underscoring TFR’s push to improve freight capacity and operational performance.
- Between October 17 and 18, Transnet Freight Rail set a world record by operating a 696-wagon train along the Sishen-Saldanha corridor, surpassing the 682-wagon benchmark set by BHP Iron Ore in 2001.
- Led by TFR's Train Design Technology and Operations teams, the initiative deployed radio-distributed power technology to electronically link 13 locomotives as a single coordinated unit across the 861km journey.
- Measuring approximately 7.6km in length, the train demonstrates engineering expertise on the vital export route, transporting bulk iron ore from Northern Cape mines to the Port of Saldanha for international markets.
- Infrastructure damage, equipment shortages, and mismanagement have forced freight volumes toward road transport despite the engineering victory, requiring trains to reduce truck dependency on roads.
- Restoring the wider network requires dependable daily services and sustained investment to meet the government's 250-million-tonne annual target, as current volumes reached only 168 million tonnes in 2025-2026.
49 Articles
49 Articles
South Africa's state-owned transport company has announced the successful test run of a 7.6-kilometer-long freight train carrying 696 containers, claiming it broke the previous world record set by Australia in 2001.
This freight train claims to be longest ever
South Africa claims it has sent the longest freight train in the world on a test run. The train was 7.6 kilometers or 4.7 miles long and consisted of 696 freight wagons. That's according to the state-run transportation and logistics…
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This freight train claims to be the longest ever. Here’s how long
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A government-run company in South Africa says that it has sent the longest freight train ever on a test run. The train was 7.6 kilometers (4.7 miles) long and consisted of 696 freight wagons, according to Transnet, the state-run transport and logistics company. It required electric and diesel locomotives...
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