World News for Students of English

02-11-2026 07:00

A state-owned logistics company in South Africa successfully tested a freight train which is 7.6 kilometres long.

The train consists of 696 empty wagons and recently travelled 860 kilometres from a port on the west coast to a mine. Electric and diesel engines placed along the train provided all the power needed to move it. The company says this train is officially longer than the previous record-holder, an Australian train tested back in 2001.

The company called the successful test a milestone for the country’s train network, which helps move materials across long distances. Although only the company announced the new world record, many people are excited about this big step forward for African railway transportation.

Difficult words: logistics (transporting goods to customers), freight (goods transported by truck, train, ship, or plane), mine (a deep hole in the earth from which workers get coal, minerals, or stones), milestone (an important event in the history of something).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.