South Africa tests 7.6-kilometre freight train in bid to break world record

Updated: 28 October 2026 - 7:38 GMT+1 South Africa's state-owned transport company Transnet says it has tested the world's longest freight train, measuring 7.6 kilometres and made up of 696 wagons. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The train completed an 860-kilometre journey from Saldanha Bay on the country's west coast to an inland iron ore mine on 18 October. The wagons were empty during the test run. Electric and diesel locomotives positioned along the train provided the power needed to move the massive convoy. Transnet says the train surpasses the previous record set in 2001 by a 4.5-mile-long freight train travelling from an iron ore mine to a port in Western Australia. The company presented the journey as a milestone for South Africa's rail freight network, although the record claim comes from Transnet itself.