Inside China's wireless train convoy hauling cargo equal to 3 Eiffel Towers

China has tested a wireless train convoy on the Baoshen Railway, moving seven freight trains carrying 35,000 tonnes, equal to three Eiffel Towers, safely in close formation

China has successfully demonstrated a cutting-edge rail system that could reshape freight transport. Instead of connecting trains with physical couplings, the new system uses wireless signals to link multiple trains, allowing them to operate in close formation with precise coordination, South China Morning Post reported.

 

On Monday, seven freight trains on the Baoshen Railway in Inner Mongolia ran together in a coordinated convoy. Each train carried 5,000 tonnes of cargo, giving a combined load of 35,000 tonnes, which is around three and a half times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. Unlike conventional operations, the trains were able to maintain much closer distances while accelerating and braking safely.

 

 

State broadcaster CCTV reported that the system could increase China’s railway freight capacity by over 50 per cent without building new tracks.

 

What technology powers the wireless convoy?

The system, developed by China Shenhua Energy Company and other domestic organisations, uses a “two-dimensional control mode” that combines relative speed and absolute distance to manage train movements.

 

According to CHN Energy, communication between trains and the ground allows the technology to control movements based on both the trains’ speed relative to each other and the actual distance between them, enabling safe close-range operation.

 

This wireless “virtual coupling” allows the convoy to adapt dynamically to speed changes, shorten braking distances and reduce spacing requirements.   

 

Why does China need this technology?

China has steadily expanded its rail freight network, moving more than 3 billion tonnes of cargo in the first nine months of the year, according to China Daily. Meeting growing demand by building new lines is costly, so methods such as longer trains, shorter departure intervals and denser convoys are more economical.

 

China is also expanding its international rail footprint through services like China Railway Express, linking the country with Europe and Asia.

 

CHN Energy said the new system could also increase a station’s “throat capacity”, or the number of trains that can efficiently enter and exit a station. “China is now the world’s first country to master group train operation control systems,” the company said.

 

What does the successful trial mean?

Earlier this year, China Shenhua tested smaller, lighter convoys as part of gradual system development. The latest trial shows that large, heavy-haul freight trains can safely operate together in a dynamic wireless convoy, marking a major milestone in the evolution of China’s freight-rail ecosystem.