On April 20, a freight train of CHN Energy, with load capacity exceeding 30,000 tonnes, which is the largest so far in China, completed a test run on the Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway.
Hauled by four electric locomotives, the freight train consists of 324 carriages, with a total length of 4,088 meters and a total load of 32,400 tonnes, setting new records for both the longest formation and the largest load capacity in China. This experiment employs advanced technologies such as domestically developed TD-LTE, traction network control, air braking, and wireless synchronized operation. It represents an innovative configuration of production factors for high-power AC electric locomotives and heavy-haul freight vehicles.
The Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway serves as China's second major route for transporting coal from the west to the east, playing a crucial role in China’s energy supply. It has been regularly operating freight trains with load capacity over 20000 tonnes for eight years, with the number of trains exceeding 100,000 and transporting over 1.1 billion tonnes of coal. The railway's adoption and mastery of advanced technologies such as heavy-haul railway mobile block systems, automatic driving, and intelligent operation and maintenance have significantly propelled the innovative development of China's heavy-haul railway technology. Building on years of research and practical experience in transportation, the Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway has successfully commenced operations of 30,000-ton heavy-haul combined trains, which plays a vital and positive role in enhancing the transportation capacity of China's main coal transportation channel and exploring the cutting-edge level of heavy-haul railway technology.
