On April 20, the heavy-haul freight train No. 55066, with load capacity exceeding 30,000 tonnes, safely arrived at the Huanghua Port Station of the Shuohuang Railway in Hebei Province, marking the success of its trial run, setting new records for both the longest formation and the largest load capacity in China.
It is reported that this 30,000-tonne-level heavy-haul freight train was jointly developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. and CHN Energy. Equipped with an intelligent locomotive system integrating intelligent driving technology, intelligent operation and maintenance system, and intelligent diagnostic technology, it adopts an inverter with a new architecture and microcomputer-controlled air brake systems, constructing a highly reliable electric drive and brake system. Comprised of a “1+1+1+1” formation and hauled by 4 “Guoneng” high-power AC electric locomotives, the freight train pulls a total of 324 wagons, with a total length of 4,088 meters and a total weight of 32,400 tonnes.
The Shuohuang Railway is the second-largest channel for West-to-East Coal Transport in China. Since 2016, it has operated 20,000-tonne-level heavy-haul freight trains regularly. Currently, the number of trains operated has exceeded 100,000 times, transporting over 1.1 billion tonnes of coal. The trial operation of this 30,000-tonne-level heavy-haul freight train adopts advanced technologies such as traction control network, air braking, and wireless synchronous control, which has a positive effect on improving coal transportation capacity and exploring heavy-haul transportation technologies.
