Longest trains

Mauritania Railway iron ore train at the station in Nouadhibou.

The length of a train, including the longest trains, 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.

Conventional freight trains in the US can average nearly 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).^[1] Freight trains with a total length of three or four times that average 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"). 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

A BHP Billiton Iron Ore train with 264 cars heads out of Port Hedland on the Mount Newman railway towards Newman, Western Australia, with lead units at right, and distributed power units at left.^[2]

• Rail gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) except where shown.
• Australia
  • Rio Tinto—29,500 tonnes of iron ore—2.4 km, three locomotives
  • BHP Billiton iron ore train has typically 268 cars and a train weight of 43,000 tonnes carrying 24,200 tonnes of iron ore, 2.8 km long, two SD70ACe locomotives at the head of the train and two remote controlled SD70ACe locomotives as mid-train helpers^[3]
    • BHP Billiton used to run iron ore trains of 336 car length, 44,500 tonnes of iron ore, over 3 km long, six to eight locomotives including intermediate remote unit. This operation seems to have ceased since the trunk line was fully double tracked in May 2011.^[4]
    • The record-breaking ore train from the same company, 682 cars and 7,300 m long, once carried 82,000 metric tons of ore for a total weight of the train, largest in the world, of 99734 tonnes. It was driven by eight locomotives distributed along its length to keep the couplings loads and curve performance controllable.^[5]
  • Leigh Creek coal—2.8 km, 161 wagons and 2 locomotives.^[6][7]
  • Cane tramway – 75 wagons (610 mm (2 ft) gauge) ^[8]
• Brazil
  • Carajás Railway 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge iron ore typically 330-car trains, each 3 km long.^[9]
  • VLI 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Grain with 160 Hopper or 80 Hopper+72 FTTs (for pulp transport) about 3.2 km (2 mile) long ^[10]
• China
  • Daqin Railway coal trains—20,000 t, 3.2 km, 210 wagons
• Mauritania—3 km^[11]—iron ore from Zouérat—trains lurch violently when accelerating or braking
• Indonesia (proposed)
  • Muara Wahau coal to Bengalon port — 2196 m^[12]
• South Africa
  • Sishen–Saldanha railway line ore trains on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) — 4100 m^[13]

General

A BNSF train of loaded well cars (or double-stack cars) at Caliente, California, United States.

A Canadian National Railway double-stack container train.

• 4200 m – Canada – double-stack container trains reaching 4200 m are regularly operated by Canadian National Railway systemwide with distributed power diesel electric locomotives. General cargo trains are limited to 3700 m, and bulk trains are limited to 3000 m but up to 20,700 tons
• 3658 m – United States – Trains are limited by air brake capability. electronically controlled pneumatic braked (180 wagons) – AAR Standard S-4200.^[14]
• 1800 m – Australia—Parkes–Perth–Adelaide–Darwin—(limited by 1800 m crossing loops)
• 1524 m – France – intermediate locomotive – trial ^[15]
• 1500 m – Australia—Adelaide–Melbourne–Sydney–Brisbane—(limited by 1500 m crossing loops; some loops to be extended to 1800 m)
• 1500 m – UIC standard double length train
• 1222 m – The Bangalore–Dharmavaram goods train (India)^[16]—The train runs between Bangalore and Dharmavaram 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.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 diesel electric locomotives.
• 1000 m
  • The Netherlands–Germany—trial trains of this length^[17]
  • Saudi Arabia 1000 m double stack^[18]
• 835 m—In Denmark and to Hamburg, Germany; 2 locomotives and 82 waggons.^[19][20]
• 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 – UIC standard single length train
• 400 m – New South Wales steam era, where lengths also limited by practical length of crossing loops mechanically operated from signal boxes.

Passenger

Two DB AG ICE 3 trains combined, on the Fils Valley Railway, near Lonsee, Germany.

• Australia – up to 44 coaches (approximately 1.2 km) on The Ghan^[21]
• Canada – The Canadian transcontinental train may have 33 cars during peak season (May to September)
• Denmark – five ER ("IR4") electrical train sets combined – 380 m
• France – two TGV Atlantique trains combined – 476 m
• German Democratic Republic – up to 22 cars Berlin–Dresden (– Prague) ca. 500 m
• Germany – two ICE 3 trains combined – 402 m
• India – 24-coach trains are standard for most popular long distance services, which translates to approximately 600 meters per train.
• Japan – Tōkaidō Shinkansen N700 16-car trainset 404 m
• Mongolia – up to 30 coaches on the Ulaanbataar – Zamiyn Ude train.
• Netherlands – up to 15 coaches (five 3-coach NS Intercity Materieel trains combined)^[22] – 403 m
• Russia – two combined Sapsan trains – approx. 500 m
• Sweden – 17 coaches (26.7 m each plus two Rc locomotives at 15.4 m) – 484 m between Stockholm and Luleå. Sometimes charter trains are longer than that, e.g. 22 coaches, 530 m on 24–25 February 2012.^[23]
• United Kingdom, Belgium, France – Eurostar / British Rail Class 373 (20-car multiple unit) – 394 m
• United States — Auto Train between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida — up to 50 cars. 4 or 5 coaches, 1 lounge, 3 diners, 6 sleepers, one transition sleeper and up to 35 autoracks.
• United States – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus trains – were the longest privately operated passenger trains in the world at nearly sixty cars each. Two trains, the Red unit and the Blue unit, toured the country in an overlapping two-year cycle. Each circus train consisted of around 40–45 passenger cars with dorm rooms for the circus performers and crews, four animal cars usually placed at the front of the train for a smoother ride, a dining car referred to as the "pie car", two generator cars to provide power to the train, two merchandise boxcars, and 15–20 flatcars carrying circus vehicles and containers. Ceased operations in 2017.
• USSR/Russia – 32 coaches – 846 m; total weight of 1,920 tonnes, using locomotive ChS7 or ChS8.^[24]

Special test runs

(These are one-off to set records)

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.
• Heaviest trains
• High-speed rail
• Track gauge
• Extreme Trains on the History Channel 2009
• List of steepest gradients on adhesion railways
• Longest train journeys (passenger)
• Longest train services of Indian Railways
• Longest non-stop run in Indian Railways
• International Heavy Haul Association
• Longest road trains

References

http://www.feijenoordsemeesters.nl/LRtW/