A 1,500-metre freight train has been tested through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
Consisting of 76 flat, telescopic and container cars, the test train made a pass through the tunnel to ensure that its ETCS Level 2 signalling works with longer freight trains.
Weighing more than 2,000 tonnes, the train was hauled by three Re 620 electric locomotives.
In 2014, various European operating partners, including SNCF and Trafikverket, completed a series of tests with 1.5-kilometre freight trains – known as Marathon.
By the end of May, around 3,500 separate tests will have been completed as part of the tunnel’s commissioning process. A trial service will begin in June before the tunnel officially opens with the timetable change in December.
You’d think a specialist railway journal would know that “carriages” carry people, not freight, wouldn’t you?