China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train trips passing through the Horgos railway port have surpassed 9,000 this year as of December 2, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of China Railway Urumqi Group Co

The world’s first 35,000-ton heavy-haul train group operational test was successfully conducted on the Baoshen Railway in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday. 

The test marks the first time that globally, multiple freight trains have achieved synchronized operation using instant wireless signals, without any mechanical coupling, according to a report by the China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday.

A major challenge of the test was to enable seven freight trains—each carrying 5,000 tons of freight —to connect with each other without mechanical coupling. Instead, the connecting process was completed using China’s independently developed intelligent control system, under which the seven trains achieved perfectly synchronized acceleration and braking throughout the journey guided by wireless signals, with no collisions or separations occurring, the CCTV report noted.

In China, freight trains traditionally operated as single units, and it is a very difficult mission to make seven "giant truck"-like trains running in coordinated formation on the same railway track—without any physical connection—while maintaining perfect synchronization. 

The system, which was jointly developed by China Shenhua Energy Company in collaboration with multiple organizations, represents China’s homegrown technological innovation. 

Following the success of the test, China could increase its railway freight transport capacity by more than 50 percent without the need to construct new rail lines. It would offer the world a Chinese technological solution to address the challenge of enhancing heavy-haul railway transport efficiency, according to the media report.

Global Times