Saldanha-Sishen railway line
The 861 km Saldanha-Sishen railway line began construction on 1 June 1973, and on 14 May 1976, the first iron ore train from Sishen stopped in Saldanha Bay. The railway is mainly used to transport minerals.
A Sishen train has already achieved the “Guinness World Records”.
In 1989, a 7,281 km train covered the 861 km from Sishen to Saldanha Bay. A total of 660 fully loaded ore freight cars, nine electric locomotives, seven diesel engines and three other cars made the journey, which started at Sishen at 12.45 on Saturday afternoon and ended at Saldanha at 15.40 the next day.
Today, an Australian train holds the record.
Souces:
- https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/south-africas-world-record-breaking-train
- https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.18820/24150509/SJCH46.v1.3#d1e775
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/62961-longest-freight-train