Chinese engineers have carried out an impressive test of new technology: seven heavy freight trains with a total weight35 thousand tonsraced along the Baoshen railway in Inner Mongolia without a single mechanical connection between them. Everything was connected to a wireless connection that synchronized their movements. This was reported byCCTV.

How it worked in practice

The test involved conventional freight locomotives, each carrying 5,000 tons of cargo. They moved in a column, maintaining a distance of only a few meters. The system automatically adjusted speed, acceleration and braking to ensure that the column did not stretch or get knocked down.

Imagine a convoy of trucks on the highway, where each car “sees” the previous one on the radar and automatically adjusts so as not to collide and keep up. It’s the same here, only on rails: sensors and radio communications transmit data in real time, and algorithms calculate the optimal interval. This allows you to shorten the braking distance and increase the speed of the entire group.

“Using train-to-ground and train-to-train communication, the technology uses a two-dimensional control mode that combines relative speed and absolute distance, enabling dynamic operations in close formation,” explain developers from China Shenhua Energy.

Why is this innovative?

Conventional trains require long intervals between trains—up to several kilometers—due to weight and inertia. If one brakes sharply, the next one risks crashing. The new system solves this via a wireless network:Each locomotive receives signals from neighbors and the control room, correcting movement instantly.

It’s like Tesla’s autopilot, but for giant trucks. China already has the longest HSR (high-speed highway) network – 45 thousand km – and transports 3.3 billion tons of cargo per year. With this technology, line capacity will increaseby 20–30%, without new paths.

Why does China need this?

Railways are the backbone of the Chinese economy: they connect Shenzhen factories with Europe along the New Silk Road. New lines are expensive to build, costing billions of dollars per kilometer.It is better to optimize existing ones and reduce intervals, increase speed, and reduce downtime.

A study from Central South University showed that such systems will save up to15% on logistics. For China, where freight transport is growing by5–7% per year is a strategic breakthrough.

China Shenhua Energy already tested two lighter versions in August.Now the goal is implementation on main routes. By 2026, station capacity is expected to increase by 10–15%.