Nov 1, 2026
Africa Front
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South Africa claims 7.6 kilometer-long freight train is the longest ever

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South Africa claims 7.6 kilometer-long freight train is the longest ever

    • South Africa may have set a new world record with a freight train stretching an astonishing 7.6 kilometres, that’s 4.7 miles long

    State-owned transport giant Transnet says the train, made up of 696 wagons, completed a test run on October 18.

    The massive convoy travelled 860 kilometres, from Saldanha Bay on the west coast to an iron ore mine inland.

    To keep the train moving, electric and diesel locomotives were positioned at different points along its length. And all 696 wagons were empty for the journey.

    Freight trains are usually much shorter, often between half a mile and one-and-a-half miles long.

    Transnet says the test run breaks the previous record, set in Australia in 2001, when a freight train stretched 4.5 miles between an iron ore mine and a port in Western Australia.

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