What's the highest train length : journey length ratio in the world?

[BRX]

In other words, I'm looking for a really short train that covers a really long journey.

A 50m long train travelling a 1000km journey beats a 400m long train travelling a 2000km journey, for example.

Does this include portions of trains that join/divide en route? You can fight that out amongst yourselves. If it does, the Fort William sleeping cars might be a contender as far as the UK is concerned.

While we're at it, what about the reverse? A really long train covering a short journey. I'm guessing one of those mine trains might win this.

 

[DiscoStu]

I'm not sure if it still runs, but there was a single sleeping car that ran attached to the Moscow - Vladivostock Trans-Siberian express that then ran through to Pyongyang in North Korea.

There's a very good blog on the internet somewhere by two guys that took the risk and actually took this train. A brilliant read. I'll try and find the link.


Here's the link. It's a long story, but a great read, and also some great photo's :

http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/

 

[BRX]

I'm not sure if it still runs, but there was a single sleeping car that ran attached to the Moscow - Vladivostock Trans-Siberian express that then ran through to Pyongyang in North Korea.

There's a very good blog on the internet somewhere by two guys that took the risk and actually took this train. A brilliant read. I'll try and find the link.


Here's the link. It's a long story, but a great read, and also some great photo's :

http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/

Yeah, I've read that before and it's great. I nearly linked to it in my OP but checked and I think the sleeping car in question actually only runs from Irkutsk, not Moscow.

 

[DiscoStu]

Yeah, I've read that before and it's great. I nearly linked to it in my OP but checked and I think the sleeping car in question actually only runs from Irkutsk, not Moscow.

Ah okay. Irkutsk to Pyongyang in one sleeper is still one hell of a distance/train length ratio

 

[BRX]

Ah okay. Irkutsk to Pyongyang in one sleeper is still one hell of a distance/train length ratio

True!

 

[provodnik]

Hi,


the Moscow-Pyongyang sleeping car still runs twice monthly (leaving Moscow 11th and 25th of each month). The total distance is 10267 km.

Here is the timetable (taken from http://train.mza.ru/index.php?exp=1...SvDbmDHN9oJI7ITZSLf84AMgC0snEFSFcSTtMA92BxEI=)

It's now even faster by 24 hrs compared to my trip in 2008. This is due to an improved timetable between Ussuriysk and Khasan in Russia, which reduces long waiting times (of up to 12 hrs) for the sleeping car while waiting for being attached to the next train.


Greetings from Austria...

Provodnik


BTW, thanks for the feeback regarding my travelogue!

 

[BRX]

Hi,


the Moscow-Pyongyang sleeping car still runs twice monthly (leaving Moscow 11th and 25th of each month). The total distance is 10267 km.

Here is the timetable (taken from http://train.mza.ru/index.php?exp=1&r=9wVUNg1zY072zFdxvHWr5kEIyaRHzWY36vtVlflQm6g4kLyNZpHsJDdiP6rRRu6Px4632akh86IlntOqdWlzmMCaZLt9Zc6e%2F2jJYk4YDT0BHEFaj6XTUHxwyFwVHxnSvDbmDHN9oJI7ITZSLf84AMgC0snEFSFcSTtMA92BxEI%3D)



It's now even faster by 24 hrs compared to my trip in 2008. This is due to an improved timetable between Ussuriysk and Khasan in Russia, which reduces long waiting times (of up to 12 hrs) for the sleeping car while waiting for being attached to the next train.


Greetings from Austria...

Provodnik


BTW, thanks for the feeback regarding my travelogue!

We stand corrected and it's great that you're registered here!

I read your travelogue some time ago and it's genuinely one of the best things I've ever read on the internet! It's exactly the kind of trip I like to do, only yours was a lot more ambitious than anything I've ever attempted!

Are you planning any more travels of a similar nature?

 

[Gordon]

IN the early days of Hafas, and the latter days of the CIS, the well known train to look up to 'test' the capabilities of Hafas was Berlin - Saratov, but this seems to have died a death as a through train. In the Soviet era of course there were the Moscow - Geneva and Moscow - Madrid services and such like which were essentially one or two coaches attached and detached from longer trains.

The renaissance of a Moscow - Nice service gives a long distance journey but it is quite a long rake of coaches so probably doesn't fit the criteria of the thread title.

Gordon

 

[DiscoStu]

I have to agree with BRX - it's a fantastic travelogue. I would love to do something similar one day

 

[Clip]

BTW, thanks for the feeback regarding my travelogue!

Great read of your travelogue. Sounds an exciting trip that does.

 

[matt]

While we're at it, what about the reverse? A really long train covering a short journey. I'm guessing one of those mine trains might win this.

The Shuttle through the Channel Tunnel must come close for that.

 

[KimClive]

The Indian-Pacific is a 14 car train that does a regular route of 4352km across Australia from Sydney to Perth (and vice versa).

Might not beat the Moscow-Korea one for length/distance ratio but she does run twice a week.

http://www.gsr.com.au/site/indian_pacific.jsp

 

[Gordon]

The Shuttle through the Channel Tunnel must come close for that.

yes, can't think of much else, except for a double length TGV on something like Paris - Lille (1 hour journey time)

A few Swiss (usually peak hours) trains are quite long and cover shortish distances thanks to the small size of Switzerland. Thanks to SBB's policy of attaching rakes to other rakes (which sometimes sees a driving trailer or a loco in the middle of the train and mixing of double and single deck stock) there are some 12 - 15 (and one 17 coach rake) coach trains. The web resource which shows this is playing up at present so I can't determine how short the shortest run of one of these double rakes is.

Nevertheless, I can identify a loco+12 coach set of inter city stock which runs Zurich HB - Brugg AG, which is only takes 24 minutes.

 

[BRX]

12 car Swiss train Zurich to Brugg: 240m(estimate) / 36000m(approx) = 0.0066

2 car Class 150 on St Ives Branch line: 40m / 6840m = 0.0058

Double TGV Paris-Lille: 400m(?) / 219000 = 0.0018

Le Shuttle: ??? / 50000 (can't find what the length of a Le Shuttle rake is)

 

[matt]

800 metres according to this http://www.eke.com/references/uk-channel-tunnel-shuttle/

 

[BRX]

Australian ore train: 7353m / 275000m = 0.0267

Wins so far if that's a regular journey!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

800 metres according to this http://www.eke.com/references/uk-channel-tunnel-shuttle/

Ok,

Le Shuttle: 800m / 50450m = 0.0159

 

[90019]

Australian ore train: 7353m / 275000m = 0.0267

Wins so far if that's a regular journey!

I believe that one was a one off, and they're not usually that long.

 

[Gordon]

12 car Swiss train Zurich to Brugg: 240m(estimate) / 36000m(approx) = 0.0066

2 car Class 150 on St Ives Branch line: 40m / 6840m = 0.0058

Double TGV Paris-Lille: 400m(?) / 219000 = 0.0018

Le Shuttle: ??? / 50000 (can't find what the length of a Le Shuttle rake is)

Using this ‘percentage’ calculation where does the Loetschberg tunnel car carrying shuttle come in the league table. Longish rakes of car carriers but a much shorter run than that through the Channel Tunnel

The problem (as with all facts and figures) as that we are moving into a ‘what if this/what if that situation. It could be argued that the Eurotunnel shuttle is not a true passneger train as pedestrian cannot board them, therefore you might then argue that freight trains should be included in this discussion in which case a very long freight running from one yard a short distanec to another yard would count!

 

[Old Timer]

Brazil

Carajass to Sao Luis = 3.3km train / 938km = 0.00352

 

[martinsh]

Class 150 on Cardiff Queen ST - Cardiff Bay. 40m travelling 1600m = 0.025

 

[stut]

What about metro-type shuttles?

Waterloo and City Line: 65m / 2370m = 0.027
Paris Line 3bis: 45m / 1300m = 0.035
New York 42nd St Shuttle: 62m / 1300m = 0.048
Berlin U55: 99m / 1800m = 0.055

 

[talltim]

Using this ‘percentage’ calculation where does the Loetschberg tunnel car carrying shuttle come in the league table. Longish rakes of car carriers but a much shorter run than that through the Channel Tunnel

The problem (as with all facts and figures) as that we are moving into a ‘what if this/what if that situation. It could be argued that the Eurotunnel shuttle is not a true passneger train as pedestrian cannot board them, therefore you might then argue that freight trains should be included in this discussion in which case a very long freight running from one yard a short distanec to another yard would count!

Don't think freight was ever discluded, but I get the impression it has to be a scheduled train

 

[ian959]

The Indian-Pacific is a 14 car train that does a regular route of 4352km across Australia from Sydney to Perth (and vice versa).

Might not beat the Moscow-Korea one for length/distance ratio but she does run twice a week.

http://www.gsr.com.au/site/indian_pacific.jsp

The Indian Pacific is a lot longer than 14 cars - usually something around 20-22 passenger/crew coaches and a couple of car carriers. The double consist trains can run to 40 coaches.

 

[BRX]

What about metro-type shuttles?

Waterloo and City Line: 65m / 2370m = 0.027
Paris Line 3bis: 45m / 1300m = 0.035
New York 42nd St Shuttle: 62m / 1300m = 0.048
Berlin U55: 99m / 1800m = 0.055

Looks like the Berlin U55 is the winner so far for long train/short journey.

So what about short train/long journey?

 

[stut]

There might be some promise in Australia.

The Transwa propspector is a 2-car high-speed DMU covering the 600km from Perth to Kalgoorlie:

50m / 600000m = 0.000083

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I thought this was for long trains covering short distances, but that's a good point - what about short trains covering long distances? That Australian one has to be in with a strong chance on that?

 

[jamesontheroad]

The VIA Rail Canadian might be a contender in the low or shoulder season: 4,466km with as few as 12 carriages (although I don't know the exact length of the stainless steel carriages).

Say 25m x 12 = 300m / 4,466,000m = 0.00006717

Edit: shortest reported consist was nine cars, a few years ago:

25m x 9 + 1 loco = 250m / 4,466,000m = 0.00005598

 

[martinsh]

What about metro-type shuttles?

Waterloo and City Line: 65m / 2370m = 0.027
Paris Line 3bis: 45m / 1300m = 0.035
New York 42nd St Shuttle: 62m / 1300m = 0.048
Berlin U55: 99m / 1800m = 0.055

What about Kensington Olympia - High St Ken ? [ Don't know the respective lengths ]

 

[BRX]

The VIA Rail Canadian might be a contender in the low or shoulder season: 4,466km with as few as 12 carriages (although I don't know the exact length of the stainless steel carriages).

Say 25m x 12 = 300m / 4,466,000m = 0.00006717

Edit: shortest reported consist was nine cars, a few years ago:

25m x 9 + 1 loco = 250m / 4,466,000m = 0.00005598

There's also the Winnipeg-Churchill train which covers 1400km, don't know what the shortest consist of that is though.

 

[jamesontheroad]

There's also the Winnipeg-Churchill train which covers 1400km, don't know what the shortest consist of that is though.

I took it in May 2006, which is basically the low season for the "Hudson Bay" (busy in winter for polar bear watching, busy in summer for whale watching) and it was two locomotives, one baggage car, two passenger cars, a kitchen/dining car and one Chateau sleeper; so seven cars.

I was the only passenger (other than the crew) in the sleeper. The seated coaches were busy after The Pas (I think) as it's quicker to get to Churchill if you drive there and board the train for the northern half of the route.