Rail-sea Intermodal Trains on New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor Hit Record Volume Annual Container Throughout Surpasses 1 Million TEUs

October 13 - The rail-sea intermodal trains of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) have achieved a milestone, with annual container throughput exceeding 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as of September this year, maintaining strong growth momentum. Since their regular operation began in 2017, the annual freight volume has multiplied 283 times by the end of 2024.  

The ILSTC has launched multiple new routes in recent years, including the Chongqing - Qinzhou - Dubai railway JSQ vehicle and ro-ro shipping line, the Hainan - Qinzhou - Xi'an grain and oil train, the UAE - Qinzhou - Lanzhou vehicle transport line, and the RCEP - Beibu Gulf Port - Henan two-way intermodal service. These developments signal the corridor's operational maturity and stability.

Liu Wei, Director of the Operations Coordination Center for the ILSTC, noted that over the past eight years, the consistent growth in train trips has enhanced the export competitiveness of enterprises in western China, attracting industrial investment to inland regions and supporting domestic-international economic circulation.

The network now operates 24 scheduled routes, such as Beibu Gulf Port - Chongqing, Beibu Gulf Port - Sichuan, Beibu Gulf Port - Yunnan, Beibu Gulf Port - Guizhou, and Beibu Gulf Port - eastern Guizhou/northern Guizhou, seamlessly connecting with the China-Europe Railway Express and the Yangtze River Golden Waterway. Among these, 14 routes start from Beibu Gulf Port and Zhanjiang Port, forming a logistics network with Beibu Gulf as the primary maritime gateway and Chongqing and Chengdu as operations coordination centers and commercial logistics hubs, covering major cities in western China.

With stable operations and diversified routes, cargo varieties have expanded significantly. Agricultural products like rice, mangosteens, passion fruit, durian, and longan from Southeast Asia now efficiently enter the Chinese market via the corridor. Meanwhile, Chinese exports such as new energy products, advanced materials, machinery, and electronics benefit from streamlined customs clearance, enabling smooth rail-to-sea transitions.

To date, the types of goods transported have grown from just over 50 categories (e.g., ceramics and timber) to 1,316 items, including grains, auto parts, computer components, and decorative materials. The corridor now serves 163 sites across 75 cities in 18 Chinese provinces, reaching 577 ports in 127 countries and regions worldwide.

"The rail-sea intermodal trains have evolved from trial operations to a regular, extensive network, demonstrating robust growth momentum. This strongly supports high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and facilitates domestic-international economic circulation," said Liu Wei.

Source: Chongqing Daily