WESTERN Australian bulk handler CBH has set a record with what is believed to be the longest and largest grain train loaded in Australia.
The single 1.8 kilometre train with 120 wagons and three locomotives last week delivered over 9,000 tonnes of wheat to CBH's Kwinana Grain Terminal.
CBH confirmed it was bigger than their previous record of 88 wagons, moved in July 2016, which contained 6500 tonnes of wheat and was 1.3km long.
And the impressive sight of nearly 2km of train may become a more common sight in rural WA in the future.
CBH general Manager Operations David Capper said the record train was part of a trial undertaken to better understand how CBH could transport grain in the most efficient and cost effective way possible.
He said following a large investment in rail in 2010-11 CBH were able to reduce freight rates by 7 per cent, which has ultimately led to a 20pc drop in freight costs.
However, he was far from satisified.
“There is so much more we want to achieve,” Mr Capper said.
The 88 wagon configuration has been used successfully since the 2016 trip, while now the company has seen 120 wagons can be moved effectively it is likely to use the set-up to drive further efficiencies, especially in terms of wagon utilisation.
In planning for the 2018 trial, CBH worked in consultation with Arc Infrastructure to ensure the record train met safe operating standards.
“While operating longer and larger trains creates economies of scale, we have to balance these efficiencies against other logistics considerations including the allocation of our rolling stock resources throughout the rest of network,” Mr Capper said.
“We learnt a lot when running the previous 88 wagon-train in 2016, and through this trial, we’ll build on those lessons to make sure we get growers’ grain to market in the most efficient and cost effective way possible.