 | This article'sfactual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2020) |
"Train on Train" (トレイン・オン・トレイン,Torein on Torein) is a term used in Japanese rail transport. It refers to the concept ofpiggybacking, carryingnarrow-gauge wagons on broader-gaugeflat wagons. "Train on Train" uses a similar concept toTransporter wagons andRollbocks.
The need for "Train on Train" arose when Japan'sHokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) was planning forstandard-gaugeHokkaido Shinkansen high-speed trains to operate in the underseaSeikan Tunnel from 2016. The problem was that narrow-gauge freight trains did not operate at high speeds. Since the tunnel is 53.85 km (33.46 mi) long, incorporating the slower narrow-gauge trains into the timetable would significantly disrupt the planned high-speed services. It was also considered technically difficult to build new freight train shelters within the Seikan Tunnel. JR Hokkaido would investigate a solution of mounting narrow-gauge freight trains on to faster standard-gauge freight trains.[1] JR Hokkaido applied for a patent for train-on-train on February 22, 2006, and has continued research and development to realize a Shinkansen freight train since then.[2] The development of "Train on Train" was effectively frozen in 2015. The Hokkaido Shinkansen opened on March 26, 2016, without "Train on Train" being put into use.
When theHokkaido Shinkansen opened betweenShin-Aomori andShin-Hakodate in 2016, high-speed Shinkansen trains shared thedual gauge tracks through theSeikan Tunnel which links the main island ofHonshu withHokkaido. While in the tunnel, freight trains on the narrow-gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) rails are limited to 110 km/h (70 mph). The "Train on Train" concept involved loading narrow-gauge KoKi 100 container wagons on to specially built standard-gauge wagons to allow operation at speeds of up to 200 km/h (120 mph).[1] The speeds in the Seikan Tunnel were reported as having been increased to 160 km/h (99 mph) after extensive testing in 2014.[3]
The "Train on Train" concept was announced in 2006[4] and a full-size mockup vehicle was built and demonstrated atNaebo Works [ja] in 2007. While the next phase was to build a prototype train for actual operation this plan was never followed through on.[1][5] beginning in 2010,JR Freight started developing a new Electric Locomotive, theClass EH800 to run on 20/25 kV AC to operate through the Seikan Tunnel.[6] These locomotives would have hauled "Train on Train" services through the tunnel. A "Forum 2050" presentation by JR Hokkaido in 2010 stated that using a "double traverser" arrangement would allow an entire train to be transferred to and from the '"Train on Train" wagons in approximately 10 minutes.[7][8] As of October 2024, the concept of "Train on Train" has not been implemented.
