The longest train in the world. Wow! What is the largest train in the world

Since the early 19th century, trains have always been considered a fine example of human engineering and ingenuity. Their invention spurred people to develop even more innovative technologies and spread the Industrial Revolution across the globe. Nowadays, trains have become one of the fastest ways to travel on earth and continue to improve every day.

1. Eurostar e320

Traveling at a speed of 320 km/h, the e320 Eurostar connects the cities of London, Paris and Brussels, and also passes under the English Channel. Although these trains are manufactured by the German company Siemans Velaro, Eurostar is actually an international joint project between France, the United Kingdom and Belgium.

2. KTX-Sancheon

Released in 2009, the South Korean train was the culmination of more than a decade of research and was the second commercial high-speed train developed in Korea. Initially it could reach a top speed of 350 km/h, later after a major accident its speed was limited to 300 km/h due to safety concerns.

3. Talgo 350

Originally built to connect the Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the Talgo 350 can reach a top speed of 365 km/h. Locals They nicknamed it “Pato” (duck) because of the specific shape of the front of the train.

4. Zefiro 380

Manufactured by Canadian aerospace and transportation firm Bombardier, the Zefiro 380 train can reach an operating speed of 380 km/h. In the near future, the first batch of trains will hit the rails in Chinese city Qingdao.

5. Shinkansen Bullet Trains

Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains, the E5 and E6 series, can reach speeds approaching 400 km/h. These trains are also well known for their ability to maintain high speeds without compromising the comfort and safety of passengers.

6. Frecciarossa 1000

The train, called the Red Arrow, is the fastest in Italy. It can reach speeds of up to 400 km/h and is one of the most environmentally friendly high-speed trains in the world, having minimal CO2 emissions and being built from almost 100% recyclable materials.

7. Velaro E

Developed by Siemens Velaro, the train, which is owned by Spanish railway company RENFE, can reach a top speed of 404 km/h. It holds the national record for the fastest train speed in Spain.

8. ICE V

Originally known as the Intercity Experimental, the ICE V train was a government-funded research project that explored the feasibility of high-speed rail service in Germany. In 1988, he set a new speed record for rail vehicles - 407 km/h.

9. Aerotrain I80

Built by French engineer Jean Bertin, the Aerotrain I80 was a jet-powered hovercraft that set the world speed record for land-based hovercraft (430 km/h) in 1974. The train was never used commercially due to a lack of funding and the death of Jean Bertenant in 1977. However, it laid the foundation for maglev trains that appeared in subsequent years.

10. CRH380A

This high-speed train entered service at the end of 2010 and is the only Chinese production locomotive that was not based on foreign designs or technology. Its top speed is 486 km/h, but after a severe collision in 2011, its operating speed was limited to 300 km/h.

11. Shanghai Maglev Train

The world's first commercial magnetic levitation train, the Shanghai Maglev Train hit the rails in 2004 and was the first train developed by the German company Transrapid. SMT can reach speeds of up to 500 km/h and connects the outskirts of Shanghai with international airport Pudong.

12. Transrapid 09

The latest and most advanced Maglev train, developed by German manufacturers Transrapid, is designed to travel at a cruising speed of around 500 km/h. It can also accelerate and decelerate much faster than other high-speed trains.

13. TGV POS

In 2007, a modified TGV POS set a world speed record for a conventional vehicle, reaching a speed of 575 km/h. The train was modified to use only two power engines, as well as larger wheels. Therefore, the actual speed of the train that runs between France and Switzerland is limited to a maximum speed of 320 km/h.

14. JR-Maglev MLX01

Reaching a shocking speed of 585 km/h on a 40 km test track in Yamanashi, Japan's experimental maglev MLX01 set a new speed record for maglev railway rolling stock in 2003. It held this achievement for twelve years until the record was broken by another Japanese Maglev in 2015, reaching a speed of 603 km/h.

15. SCMaglev L0 Series

With a peak speed of 603 km/h, this Japanese maglev train is a world record holder. Soon such trains are planned to be launched on the route between Tokyo and Osaka.

Despite the fact that we are currently in the thrall of another, newer mode of transportation - relatively inexpensive, small and comfortable, I'm talking about the car - we have completely forgotten about the first wagons in the Conestoga area of ​​Pennsylvania that created America. With its opening in 1827, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad sparked a frenzied boom in railroad construction that fueled the expansion and settlement of the West. After the first steam locomotive, known as the Stourbridge Lion, appeared in the States, hundreds of others soon came to life, guzzling coal, exhaling steam and belching smoke.

Nowadays, we have forgotten about the historical locomotives running on coal, which has irrevocably given way to electricity, gasoline and diesel fuel. Today, the place of steam locomotives has been taken by new titans - these are electric locomotives that travel around the world. In the middle of the last century, American diesel locomotives, such as the General Electric DDA40X, contained 6,600 horsepower, while the engines of modern electric locomotives from Russian and Chinese manufacturers easily accommodate 15 thousand.

In this article I want to show you the 10 most powerful locomotives in the world, and almost all of them are electric. And so, let's go!

10. American gas turbine locomotive Union Pacific GTELs: 8,500 horsepower

Union Pacific's "Big Blow" 30 km west of Las Vegas, Nevada, 1962. Photo: Gordon Glattenberg

Perhaps even a locomotive from General Electric with such a charismatic name “Big Blow” (Russian: “Powerful Exhaust”, “Big Bang”) cannot withstand modern electric locomotives. However, its debut in 1955 with 8,500 horsepower coming from three sections amazed many. The first is the control cabin and diesel generator; the second is a huge gas turbine engine with ten combustion chambers; the third is a tank with a volume of 24 thousand liters of fuel.

9,655 horsepower

Swedish electric locomotive ASEA SJ Dm3. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

As you would expect, in 9th place is a locomotive used by the Swedish State Railways, which transports iron ore from the Nordic region. Arctic Circle. The DM3 is a mighty beast, producing around 10k horsepower. It's nice to know that most of these locomotives, nicknamed "Viktor", "Baron" and "Josefina", are still in operation today.

9,705 horsepower

Swiss electric locomotive SBB Re 6/6. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Just like the previous one, he works on the northernmost Western European railway line Malmbanan (iron ore delivery). SBB is only slightly superior to Dm3, so the “brothers” are always competing.

7. German electric locomotive DB Baureihe 103: 9,977 horsepower

German electric locomotive DB Baureihe 103 235 at Dresden main station in 2007. Photo: Sebastian Terfloth/Wikimedia Commons

After World War II, Germany needed a major overhaul of its infrastructure. Part of this plan included developing a rapid passenger transport, which would travel by rail. Maximum speed The DB Baureihe 103 of the first series did not exceed 160 km per hour, but very soon the speed of the diesel locomotives of the second series reached 193 km per hour, and the third series already reached 280 km/h.

10,225 horsepower

Swiss electric locomotive SBB Ae 8/14. Photo: Peter Alder/Wikimedia Commons

For some time after its debut at the Swiss exhibition, the SBB Ae 8/14 was the most powerful locomotive in the world. The reason the Swiss needed such a powerful electric locomotive was for the main route on the Gotthard Railway, which stretches across the Alps. Before the appearance of this locomotive, the trains running on this road were half as long.

5. Russian Gas Turbine Locomotive GT1: 11,284 horsepower

Russian gas turbine locomotive GT1h-002 on the experimental ring of VNIIZHT. Photo: Neu-Zwei/Wikimedia Commons

Since its debut in 2008, the GT1 has acquired two very significant titles - the world's most powerful long-haul liquefied gas turbine locomotive and the world's most powerful locomotive with an internal combustion engine.

4. Russian electric locomotive VL85: 12,550 horsepower

Russian electric locomotive VL85-231 with a freight train Russia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Sorokino - Krasnoyarsk-Vostochny section. Photo: Maxim Dmitriev/Wikimedia Commons

Electric locomotives of this series are among the locomotives with the most powerful engines that travel along the famous East Siberian Railway in Russia. With over 12,000 horsepower, the locomotive can transport tens of thousands of political dissidents to icy work camps! (Joke!)

13,410 horsepower

Chinese electric locomotive HXD2. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This electric monster from China can transport more than 7 thousand tons of coal and work even in the most severe winter frosts at a temperature of -40 degrees.

14,483 horsepower

Norwegian-Swedish electric locomotive IORE. Photo: David Gubler/Wikimedia Commons

Iron ore is about as heavy as the train itself. The IORE locomotives are built for the LKAB division of the Swedish mining company Malmtrafik, which is responsible for the railways whose locomotives transport hundreds of tons of mined rock every day. The name of the locomotive comes from a combination of the phrases “Iron Ore” (Russian “iron ore”) and “Eeyore” (Swedish “I-or”).

The only railway in Mauritania, this is the line coming from port city Nouadhibou deep into the desert 650 km to the city of Zouerat. The line is notable for the fact that it carries the longest trains in the world: the length of a train of 180-200 cars sometimes exceeds 2 km.
Despite the fact that Mauritania is not a country spoiled with attractions, this train is its real asset. He is even depicted on the 5000th banknote.

Although the train is a freight train, it is present on the line passenger service. At the end of the 180th train, one passenger carriage is attached, in which you can officially travel. But travel conditions here are extremely tough. But in fact, the train carries not only ore and Mauritanians, but also goats and camels...

Every day, 4-5 trains with empty freight hopper cars leave from Nouadhibou to Zouerate. They return back already loaded with ore. A passenger carriage is attached to one of the trains. The train does not have a clear schedule; usually a train with a passenger carriage leaves at 15-16, or 19-20 hours. No one ever knows the real departure time, and no one will tell you.

The line opened in 1963 and is a rare railway in Africa built after independence, not by colonialists. Owned by SNIM (Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière).

Movement pattern.

The train travels all night and arrives in Zuerat the next morning. Most foreigners who decide to take this train get off earlier, at Shum station, where there is highway to the nearby city of Atar, and further to the capital. And Zuerat is deep into the desert.

There was information that foreigners were not allowed beyond Shuma at all, since a small section passes through the territory of Western Sahara, controlled by the Polisario Front. Like very dangerous. In reality, there are no problems; there is simply no one to scrape the foreigners out of the crowded carriage. I generally slept through this Noise safely and woke up when the train was rushing at full speed towards Zuerat.

(railroad to Nouadhibou. In the depths of the frame you can see the sea, and in front of it is the territory of Western Sahara)

Actually, we planned to leave Nouadhibou on the longest train on February 11th. With me was the new president of the AVP club Alexey Kuleshov ( traveler62rus ) and his wife Alena. Since everyone said different departure times for the train - from 14.30 to 20, we decided to arrive at the station early just in case - by 14. The station is located at the entrance to the city, 3 km from the beginning of the urban development. It was very inconvenient - I had to drive here all the time, and there weren’t even any shops nearby.

There is conditional electricity at the station. Conditional, since it is powered by solar panels. In the midst sunny day you can charge a mobile phone and even a laptop, but there won’t be enough power for a boiler. The same goes for two laptops, if someone plugs the second one into a different outlet. Already at sunset, even the phone stops charging.

The platform itself is incredibly simple. No path development. Trains form at the port and depart from there. And here those that have a passenger carriage take passengers.

At the station we were informed that the train would leave at 7 pm. Well, from 7 to 8 somewhere, to be precise. Okay, let's sit and relax for now. They flew me in immediately so as not to waste time. Other passengers also arrive.

The oncoming train has arrived!

Cars for service personnel.

Actually, the service staff themselves. I think that theoretically, if you wish, you can ask to join them in the carriage. Maybe you can go to the drivers (Mauritania is a simple country), but it’s a long walk to get to them, and the train is long.

Appeared closer to 7 new information- The train is canceled today. More precisely, it will be, but without a passenger carriage, and therefore will not even stop at this station. The fact is that the train departs from a port located in the depths of Nouadhibou. From here to the railway the station is about 10 km. The ticket attendant came up to me along with the cop on duty and returned my money.
- What should I do? - I asked the cop, with whom, after he copied my data during the day, we managed to become friends.
- Come tomorrow. The train will depart at 15.30.
- That's for sure?
- Yes, exactly. At 15.30 tomorrow. Today, you see, the passenger carriage was cancelled. That's why the train won't stop here. But if you don’t want to wait, you can go today at one thirty in the morning in a freight car. Then it will be completely free.
- What, is that really possible?
- Yes, of course you can, what a problem! You climb in and eat for yourself. You can sleep there and relax. And you don't have to pay anything. At 1.30 there will be such a train, it will stop here.
- But... but it’s probably dirty there!
- No, not really. They are cleared of ore in the port, and they go there empty. So don't worry, you'll get there just fine!

This is just amazing! We are already accustomed to the fact that you cannot travel in freight cars, that this is a violation for which, although not harshly, they can be punished. It’s not that this is a “violation”, but a completely legal action. And the most enchanting thing is that the law enforcement officer himself offers to ride in a freight car to the white mister! After that I fell in love with this country even more! It’s great that there are no stupid stereotypes about people of European appearance, that it might be “dangerous”, “uncomfortable”, etc. for them. Well, really, since you can physically go, since the locals go, is it worse than white people?

However, we were not seduced by the policeman’s advice to freeze all night in a dirty carriage. The Kuleshovs refused to take the train at all and hitchhiked to Nouachotte. And I decided to wait until the next day.

The next day, when I arrived at the station at 2.30, of course, it turned out that the train would only arrive in the evening. Damn, I'm already starting to go crazy. I'm already sick and tired of this dirty Nouadhibou! However, I did go and eat and surf the Internet. What time is the train due? Well, at 7-8 somewhere, we never know in advance.

However, at 7.30 the train actually arrived. I decided to count the cars - it turned out - 179! Yesterday's cop, seeing that I was counting, came up and asked with a smile: how much?

Knowing the peculiarities of landing, I rushed to occupy myself in the first rows good place. I was one of the first to climb in, but it turned out that the first climbers were blocking access to the entire compartment in order to load their relatives and friends there. One way or another, I grabbed a seat by the window.

Then the fun and lengthy process of loading the Moorish belongings began. “Muhammad” shouted out the window when the Moor came to my compartment. And a certain Mohammed began handing luggage to my new neighbor right through the window: a bag, then a second bag. Then a gas cylinder for making tea. Then an envelope with a baby. For a long time, the neighbor didn’t know where to put the sleeping child, and without hesitation, he put him on my lap. Okay, let me tell you what the problems are, I have experience interacting with babies.

Having placed a baby for me, the neighbor received a second, older child (about 1.5 years old) through the window. After some time, the neighbor’s wives appeared in the compartment, completely wrapped up, in burqas with slits for the eyes.

Let's see what the carriage looks like. Remember the worst train you've ever been on and imagine that it was super-luxury. Then you will understand what the Mauritanian railway is.

Once upon a time it was a classic Euro-seater with separate compartments for 6 people. Now the travel conditions have worsened.

There are signs left from old times.

Everything possible has been broken. The glass in the cube is broken, the walls are shabby. Everything is dirty, terrible, sucks.

Instead of windows, there are these loopholes, and not in all compartments.

Light? What light, what are you talking about?

The toilet seems decent at first glance relative to the area, but on the second you discover that the door to it has been stupidly broken in and is lying next to it.

A ride on such a magnificent train costs approximately 6 euros (2500 ouguiyas), and the price does not depend on the distance. The train contains an evil ticket collector, barking at those who do not want to pay, and a seller of all sorts of goodies.

Some people don’t want to pay and travel in freight cars. Let me repeat, this is completely legal here. There is not much difference in the quality of travel between freight cars and passenger cars.

Of course, there were not enough seats for passengers in the compartment; many travel and sleep in the aisles. Well, yes, what difference does it make where you lie?

Yes, you have to be a big train fan to decide to travel on such a trash train. Many Europeans limit themselves to inspecting the train from the outside. Well, we’ll tolerate it for the sake of art.

In addition to the super-rigid state of the car, it also violently jerks back and forth every time it accelerates and decelerates. Sometimes things fly off the shelves.

It’s just getting dark here and flashlights come into use.

Well, whether it's long or short, let's go. In order not to get bored, the Moors take out a gas cylinder and prepare tea on it. B - safety.

The train continues to jerk, so much so that the balloon almost falls. But the tea is ultimately delicious, albeit traditional Moorish.

The main tea master is a Moor who studied for 9 years in Cuba. Speaks Spanish to me fluently. He is going with his family - with those two wives and two children, one of whom I managed to swing, home to Zuerat.

Yes, trash, dirt, bales and horror. But the spiritually unifying Moorish tea, the beloved sound of wheels and the night desert outside the window created such a peaceful state inside me, and I began to think about going all the way, to Zuerat. Initially, I wanted to get off at Noise in order to get to Nouakchott in the evening. A trip to Zuerat would have eaten up another day. Ultimately, I didn't make a final decision and fell asleep.

Everything was decided very simply, I slept through the noise safely. Well, that is, there were some stations in the night, I heard the sounds of loading and loading. But I thought it was too early to get to Shum, it would take 11-12 hours to get there. But the train was moving faster, and when, waking up in the first rays of the sun, I was able to download maps on my smartphone, I discovered that we had been approaching Zuerat for a long time. Well, okay, so the dilemma is solved. It’s even better - if I got off in Shum, I wouldn’t have taken a good picture of the train in the dark.

We arrived in Zuerat early - at 10.30 am!

At the entrance to it beautiful mountains, ore quarry. Actually, this is what this railway exists for.

All sorts of huge units.

Belaz truck bodies are lying along the line.

Here is the Zuerat station. Passengers are quickly unloaded from the train. They are met by numerous taxis!

The city is visible directly from the station.

However, Anton Krotov, who had been traveling a few days earlier, was dropped off somewhere else altogether in the desert, where there were no patrols and only one shelter. It's interesting how this happens.

I stayed in the carriage and got to the maneuvers. The ticket guy basically told me that “sit here, we’ll go back to Shum right now.”

Shunting diesel locomotive driver.

After the maneuvers, I witnessed an enchanting process: a herd of camels, which the drivers loaded onto an open platform. The camels were angry, indignant, and they were forcibly imprisoned and tied.

Here they don’t really stand on ceremony with animals.

I wonder where they will go and when?

Having found out from several people that the train was supposed to leave "somewhere between 15 and 18", I headed into the city. Why sit here at the station? I was hoping to take a quick walk and hitchhike away. The city is small and traditionally dirty. Part of the time was consumed by the cops at the post, who wanted to check me.

Double-decker "desert train" car. Designed for tourists, apparently they were once transported here on it. Now it is in disrepair.

Broken locomotives.

Hand arrows.

It was not possible to hitchhike. Cars go from Zouerate to Atar and Nouakchott, but you have to catch them early in the morning. And in the afternoon the chances of catching something distant are extremely low. Therefore, after hanging out with the field cops, I told them that I wanted to go by train. No sooner said than done: the cops quickly found me a car straight to the station!

Since, unlike Nouadhibou, the passenger carriage is right here, it was already half full. I managed to grab myself a place in the aisle before the Zueratians started pouring in. The departure time has been "specified" to "somewhere between 15 and 16."

The camels would have been there, the platform was completely loaded with them! At its beginning there was an overseer.

And indeed, somewhere between 15 and 16, a freight train filled with ore arrived.

I climbed in to see what it was like in the carriages, was it comfortable to travel? By the time I climbed I was already covered in ore dust.

Today I want to tell you about the longest train in the world, which it has become - the Sapsan double train. Its testing has already begun between St. Petersburg and Novgorod, and in August 2014 such trains will begin running between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Read and watch further.

4:00 March 3 at the Metallostroy depot two new Sapsan are awaiting testing, where they will turn into a single twenty-car train

Anyone who has traveled on Sapsan from Moscow to St. Petersburg or back knows that you need to buy tickets in advance - they sell out instantly. Tickets are in demand and are sold almost 100%, so passengers complain - everyone wants to travel in comfort. A dual composition should solve this problem.

On March 3 at 9:30 at the Uglovka station in the Novgorod region, two new Sapsan were connected together, and then for several hours they were tested at different speeds on the Uglovka - Okulovka section.

Let's get closer!

The team of SZ DSS Russian Railways is worried before the test

Everything is checked not only automatically, but also manually

Historical moment

Photo from the driver's cabin, which has now become the middle of the train. Team members communicate with each other by phone and speakerphone

Here - in Uglovka - five years ago the first Sapsan were tested, three years ago - Allegro (St. Petersburg - Helsinki), and last year - Lastochka, which served passengers in Olympic Sochi. Why here? So far this is the only area railway in Russia, allowing you to reach speeds of up to 250 km/h.

Two teams took part in the study: a German team from Siemens, which developed and supplied Russian Railways with a new Sapsan model - Veraro Rus 2. And a Russian team from the North-Western Directorate of High-Speed ​​Transport of Russian Railways, which will continue to operate high-speed trains in the future. Experts checked them for electrical compatibility - so that the train does not emit interference in the radio range when accelerating and braking, so that Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and radio broadcasting work. In general, connection.

“Now the two trains are connected together. The task is to re-take all measurements. There are measuring instruments installed along the route, which we pass by. If any sensors begin to go off scale, changes will be made. One group of specialists monitors the indicators, the other takes measurements along the route.”

The train is moving at a speed of 220 km/h. The camera barely has time to capture a group of workers taking measurements:

There will be other tests. The railway workers still have to check the braking system: after all, two trains mean double the weight. As well as other parameters. But that will come later.

In the meantime, I propose to take a walk through the still empty carriages of the updated train. Can we find differences from the previous version?

Economy class. The seats will be kept in protective covers until they are put into use. There are bags near every seat on the entire train. Their weight simulates the loading of the train. Everything is the same as on a regular flight.

Business class

First class

VIP zone. A compartment with four seats, near the driver's cabin, closes with a door, can be bought in full, suitable for negotiations

Conductor's room

Currently, the longest train in the world is the Australian train, which completed the trip in 2001. Its length was 7350 meters. The giant, consisting of 682 cars, weighed more than 82 thousand tons. It took 8 diesel locomotives to pull them away.

The second place is occupied by a train from South Africa, traveling from the city of Saldanha to Saischen. This event happened in 1989. The length of the train was 7300 meters, it consisted of 660 cars. It was pulled by 9 electric locomotives with a capacity of 50 kilowatts and 7 diesel locomotives.

The longest train pulled by one locomotive consisted of 250 cars, weighing a total of 15,500 tons. The event took place in the USA.

The longest passenger train was a Belgian train in 1991. Its length was 1730 meters, it consisted of 70 cars.

However, it should be noted that the trains described above carried out only one-time trips. As for permanently operating trains, the longest of them is the train running in Mauritania on the route Nouadhibou - Zouerate. The length of the train is 3000 meters. This train carries both freight and passenger cars. The length of the route is 700 kilometers, which takes the train approximately 12 hours to cover. The cost of the trip is $5.