Unit train

Article summary

unit train working for Daimler AG between the factories at Sindelfingen and Bremen A unit train, also called a block train or a trainload service, is a train in which all cars (wagons) carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route. They are distinct from wagonload trains, composed of differing numbers of cars for various customers. Unit trains enable railways to compete more effectively with road and internal waterway transport systems. Time and money are saved by avoiding the complexities and delays that would otherwise involve assembling and disassembling trains at rail yards near the origin and destination. Unit trains are particularly efficient and economical for high-volume commodities. The use of unit trains allows for more efficient use of train cars, especially when facilities exist for rapid loading and unloading. This leads to cost savings for both train operators and shippers. Since they often carry only one commodity, cars are of all the same type; often identical. Some commodities (e.g., coal) can be loaded at the origin while the train moves slowly on a loop track. The procedure is reversed at the receiving end, and because there generally is not any commodity to be hauled in the opposite direction, the train returns empty.…

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