Chongqing— Data from the Chongqing Port and Logistics Office shows that in  first quarter, Chongqing transported 50,000 standard containers via three ILSTC transportation modes, up 39% from last year. The goods' value reached about 9.2 billion yuan, a 54% increase. Specifically, ILSTC transported 44,450 standard containers, up 42.66%, valued at 6.989 billion yuan, an 81.78% increase.

The three ILSTC transportation modes include intermodal rail-sea transport, international railway intermodal transport, and cross-border road transport.

Chongqing promotes district and county involvement in corridor construction

Chongqing is encouraging more involvement from districts and counties in channel construction. For example, on February 29, Qianjiang District initiated its first ILSTC train service, allowing southeastern Chongqing to improve logistics for bulk commodity exports to Southeast Asia. 

Similarly, on March 30, Fuling District commenced its inaugural ILSTC train service at Longtou Port, exporting automotive components and chemicals to countries including India, Vietnam, and Peru.

Since the start of this year, ILSTC has boosted its transport volume of smart terminals and other products. In Q1 alone, the value of laptop products transported through the channel surpassed 150 million yuan, surpassing last year's total shipment volume.

Innovation drives the development of the ILSTC. In April, the Bank of Chongqing introduced the nation's inaugural "one-bill" digital letter of credit for multimodal transport within the corridor. This initiative aided a Chongqing-based import company in procuring bulk goods from Pakistan while facilitating corporate financing through funding support.

Chongqing customs boosts corridor connectivity through regional cooperation

Recently, Chongqing Customs District reported ILSTC's strong growth in 2023, with rail-sea transport increased by 8.6% to 9,580 trips, cross-border road trips surged by 53.1% to 2.167 million, and international rail trips rose by 12.3% to 6,784 operations.

Last year, the Chongqing Customs District was instrumental in establishing a cooperative mechanism with other regional customs along the corridor to improve logistics connectivity.

Cooperation between Kunming and Chongqing customs has been pivotal in advancing the "railway express" model for the China-Laos railway. This approach has notably shortened customs clearance times by an average of 24 hours and reduced train operation times by one to two days, resulting in over 200 yuan per container savings.

Customs collaboration involving Chongqing, Kunming, and Manzhouli has shortened the transit time from Moscow to Map Ta Phut in Thailand to 15 days, a 20-day improvement over previous sea transport.

So far, the ILSTC connects over 20 border ports through 15 cross-border highway routes, serving as a vital logistics passage from China's central and western regions to various parts of Asia and Europe.

In 2023, ILSTC transported 615,200 standard containers, up 7% from the previous year. The cargo's value reached 64.326 billion yuan, a significant 16% increase from the prior year.