By Yuling Chen, EDITOR
Chongqing-Ningbo (Yuyong for short) trains started departing on January 23, 2018. Since that, it has only taken 57 hours for the railway service to run between the two places. The goods can be shipped within one day after reaching Ningbo Port. In other word, Chongqing has also built a “harbor”.
Chongqing-Ningbo trains (Photo by Liu Bo)
As of December 29, 2018, 143 Yuyong trains had run, achieving the delivery of 16,686 containers (twenty-foot equivalent unit). The foreign trade container accounts for 95.4% and the rest are for domestic trade.
Ningbo Port has adopted the pattern of the direct report. Additionally, Chongqing has implemented the “simplified customs” of inspection and release at the port. So the Yuyong passage is developing itself into the most convenient and fastest way for eastward access to the sea.
Chongqing Municipal People’s Government and China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd. have co-supported the establishment of the Yuyong passage. And it is also a “Public Platform for Chongqing-Ningbo Sea-Rail Intermodal Service” co-built by Chongqing Transportation Holdings (Group) Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co., Ltd.
For the long term, Chongqing has mainly relied on the river-sea combined transportation for exports. With the traditional model, therefore, the shipment from Chongqing to Ningbo usually takes 15-20 days. As the passage opened, the goods can get to Ningbo Zhoushan Port (the largest worldwide) after a 57-hour journey. This has greatly shortened the time of inland operation. In the meantime, it has improved the rapid reaction rate of goods in the foreign market. And the occupancy rate of transaction funding has also dropped.
Ningbo Zhoushan Port serves as the only one with a handling capacity of over 1 billion tons in the world. It has established trade passages with more than 600 ports in over 100 countries and regions. Now, it boasts 247 shipping routes, including 120 ocean ones.
Furthermore, the function forwarding has turned Chongqing Tuanjie Village Railway Central Station into an “inland port”. It is the departure station of Yuyong trains. The port will evacuate the containers of shipping companies in advance, and then stack them in Tuanjie Village. In this way, customers can use and pick up at any time. Meanwhile, they have no need to worry about deferral of use due to the transport of empty containers.
To solve the problem of transport costs, this platform has signed the Connecting Carrier Agreement (CCA) with nine shipping companies since last April. They include Maersk, EVERGREEN Group, China COSCO SHIPPING Group, and Hapag-Lloyd AG. Customers, with goods on these trains, can book space, issue a bill of lading and use the containers in Chongqing. The mutual-use of containers through the waterways and railways is available. Therefore, enterprises have spent less on long-distance booking and local container using, with less than about RMB 1,000 for each.
This passage can reach Ningbo Port eastwards, and it also connects with Yuxinou International Railway Logistics Channel westwards. This channel refers to the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway.
The goods delivered through this channel can transfer in Chongqing and then arrive in Ningbo Port via the Yuyong passage.
Chongqing and Ningbo have thus been connected to the “Youyu Xinou” (Ningbo-Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) International Railway Logistics Channel.
Depending on China Railway Express (Chongqing) and Yuyong trains, Chongqing will establish a logistics cluster for Chongqing and Ningbo. Based on that, it aims to develop a larger place in international logistics channels.
Source: CQCB
Relevant links
New Opening-up Blueprint: Chongqing-Vietnam freight train
New Opening-up Blueprint: Rail-Sea Intermodal Transport between Chongqing and Singapore