The main logistics challenge at present is the need to transload or bogie-exchange the containers to cross the territories of the former Soviet Union (“World Factbook: Railways”, Central Intelligence Agency, 2016).Ĭhina, as well as Iran and Turkey, use the same standard rail gauge as most countries in Europe (1.435 meters) but Russia, Kazakhstan and other former Soviet territories plus Mongolia use a broader gauge (1.520 meters). Sailing time from China’s east coast ports to Hamburg is around 30 days, so rail freight offers time savings of 14 to 18 days. ![]() The present northern route through Russia is around 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles) long and takes around 16 days while the southern route through Russia and Kazakhstan is 10,000 km and takes 12 days. The recent arrival of the first train from China at Tehran railway station marked an important symbolic milestone in developing the route (“First train from China to Iran stimulates Silk Road revival”, Xinhua, 2016). The northern route sees freight cross directly from China into Russia in the Russian Far East, or indirectly via the Trans-Mongolian line through Ulaanbaatar.īut there is also a southern route taking freight from China into Kazakhstan that then joins up with Trans-Siberian railroad at Yekaterinburg in Russia.Ĭhina has plans for an even more southerly route to Western Europe via Central Asia, Iran and Turkey and the Balkans. Some 400 trains traveled between the two countries in 2015, hauling 30,000 shipping containers, according to Deutsche Bahn, and there are plans to increase that to 100,000 containers a year by 2020.Īll current freight services use sections of the Trans-Siberian Railway running from Vladivostok to Moscow ( tmsnrt.rs/1RG9RH1). Until now, trains have catered for shippers moving goods in bulk, but China Rail is experimenting with less-than-container-load (LCL) shipments that consolidate freight and move it to European destinations.Ĭhina Rail has partnered with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn to build up overland freight service between the two countries (“Deutsche Bahn intensifies its involvement in China”, DB, 2016). REUTERS/StringerĬhina has the financial resources and the economic incentive to build a major transcontinental railroad service within the next 5-10 years, and the project has strong political backing from top leaders for economic and strategic reasons.įrom very small beginnings with just a few experimental journeys five years ago, the number of trains running and the volume of freight carried is growing rapidly.įreight trains originating in China have arrived in cities as far afield as Madrid and Tehran as China seeks to demonstrate the viability of a trans-continental service (“From China to Spain by rail”, Railway Gazette, 2014).Ĭhina Railway, the state-owned railroad operator, now runs a regular weekly container train between Wuhan and Hamburg in Germany with other cities in both countries also developing scheduled services.Ĭhina Railway sent its 200th block train from Wuhan to Hamburg last month loaded with clothing, general merchandise, electronic products and other goods. ![]() ![]() Freight trains wait at a station in Wuhan, Hubei province, September 14, 2012.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |