South Africa runs 7.6-kilometer test freight train

South Africa operated the world's longest freight train during a two-day test run completed on Oct. 18.

Transnet, the state-run transport and logistics company, stated the train measured 7.6 kilometers, or 4.7 miles, and consisted of 696 freight wagons. The vehicles were empty for the duration of the trip. The train traveled from Saldanha Bay on the west coast to an iron ore mine in the country's interior, covering a distance of 860 kilometers, or 534 miles.

The operation required both electric and diesel locomotives positioned throughout the train to provide power. Russell Baatjies, chief executive of Transnet Freight Rail, described the run as a learning exercise. He said the test would help improve South Africa's ability to transport minerals and other goods over long distances.

Standard freight trains typically range from half a mile to 1.5 miles in length, depending on the country. However, South Africa and Australia operate some of the longest trains in the world across extensive distances. Transnet claims this new train takes the record from a previous record set in 2001 in Western Australia, where a 4.5-mile, or 7.24-kilometer, train traveled from an iron ore mine to a port.