Switzerland: At the end of October, the narrow-gauge RhB operator ran a 1.9 km long train weighing about 2,900 tons. The 25 km route went through the Alps mountains with a grade of up to 35‰. The trip commemorated the 175th anniversary of railways in Switzerland. The achievement was recorded by representatives of the Guinness Book of Records.
The train was traveling at a speed of 30–35 km/h over 48 bridges and 22 tunnels. It left the Preda village and at 14:20 reached its destination, crossing the 65-meter Landwasser Viaduct at 15:30. Seven drivers and 21 technical workers contributed to the trip. There were only 150 people in the cars, including journalists and VIPs. The Albula railway, where the record was set, was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008.
The train was composed of 25 ABe 4/16 four-car EMUs (produced by Stadler in 2011) which were articulated and managed by multiple-unit train control. Due to the regenerative braking of the train on the descents, it was possible to return 4000 kWh to the traction system.
The train underwent 8 months of testing before the trip. As to the technical test leader Peter Klima, the power supply was the major challenge for the project. The voltage must not be too high and not too low because the output power of a 100-car train is 25,000 kW. Another challenge, according to Stadler owner and CEO Peter Spuhler, was to achieve simultaneous starting and braking of all 25 trains. Before, only three such EMUs were coupled together. There were also some concerns that the train could separate or derail while setting the record. Spuhler, answering the question about the rationale for this experiment, noted that this was a PR activity for both RhB and Stadler.
Meanwhile, the world record for the length of freight trains was fixed in 2001 in Australia, when the BHP Billiton iron ore train made the trip. The vehicle consisted of 8 locomotives and 682 freight cars, had a length of 7.35 km and a weight of 99,700 tons. The record for freight trains with one locomotive was set in 2011 in Russia. The GT1 gas turbine locomotive hauled a train of 170 cars with a total weight of 16,000 tons and a length of more than 2.36 km.
