Why Australia Runs 4-Mile Trains — And America Can’t?

On June 21, 2001, a freight train left the Yandi iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region and made history. It stretched 7.3 kilometers — four and a half miles — with 682 loaded iron ore wagons pulled by eight General Electric AC6000CW diesel locomotives. One driver controlled nearly 100,000 tonnes of train. But that raises a bigger question. Why can Australia run trains this massive, while the United States — home to the largest freight rail network on Earth — struggles to run trains half that size without blocking crossings, delaying passenger traffic, or increasing derailment risks?