Can you ride the iron ore train?
Once I had made it as far as Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, I knew I had to ride this train. The train requires no tickets, no bookings, no cash. You just hitch-hike and hop on top of the iron ore cargo across the Sahara and jump off when you reach the Mauritanian coast.
Where is the iron ore train?
Operating since 1963, the Iron Ore Train – Train du Desert in Mauritania – is a train that connects the iron ore mines in the town of Zouérat, located deep into the Sahara, with the port of Nouadhibou, located on the Atlantic coast.
How long is the iron ore train?
1.8 miles
The train is up to 3km (1.8 miles) in length, travels on a single track of 704 kilometres (437 miles), with 200 – 300 freight carriages, weighing up to a total of 84 tons and making it the longest and heaviest train in the world.
Is there a train that goes through the Sahara?
The full journey, which runs along the border of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, takes around 20 hours and covers a total distance of 704km. More than 2km long, the train is made up of three or four diesel locomotives, one passenger carriage and between 200 and 210 freight cars.
How long is Snowpiercer train?
Its track length is 318,000 km, much more than the circumference of the Earth, as it travels across every continent, originally conceived as a tourist train that would visit hundreds of cities around the world. Wilford Industries Global Express map.
What is the iron ore train of Mauritania?
What is the Iron Ore Train of Mauritania? Operating since 1963, the Iron Ore Train – Train du Desert in Mauritania – is a train that connects the iron ore mines in the town of Zouérat, located deep into the Sahara, with the port of Nouadhibou, located on the Atlantic coast.
What is the iron ore train – Train du Desert?
Operating since 1963, the Iron Ore Train – Train du Desert in Mauritania – is a train that connects the iron ore mines in the town of Zouérat, located deep into the Sahara, with the port of Nouadhibou, located on the Atlantic coast.
How does the iron ore train work?
Riding the Iron Ore Train on top of the wagons is completely FREE OF CHARGE. There’s also no control or checking whatsoever. The train arrives and you jump on, that’s it. However, among the 2.5km of loaded wagons, there is one passenger carriage, which tends to be the last one.
How does the Zouérat train carry iron ore?
Every evening, a long train hauling iron ore leaves Zouérat for Nouadhibou, dragging as many as two hundred wagons brimming with hematite. The train stretches for 2.5 kilometers. Each wagon carries up to 84 tons of iron ore, making the train one of the heaviest and longest in the world.