Lianyungang records 15,000th freight train trips with Central Asia

2023-05-19 17:56:00

A China-Europe freight train departed from China-Kazakhstan international logistics base in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province on May 18, headed for Central Asian countries. This marked the 15000th cargo train trips between the city and Central Asian countries.

The train carrying 100 TEUs of goods, such as tiles, tires, and grease equipment, will reach Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan via the Horgos port, a border port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In December 1992, a locomotive pulled the first international freight train to Central Asia and Europe from Lianyungang, marking the official opening of the New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB), an international passageway linking the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Before reaching the milestone of 15,000 trips, Jiangsu has implemented a series of measures to promote the freight train services, including a priority to take advantage of the rail-sea intermodal transport and turn it into a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative. Due to its unique geographical location, Lianyungang Port is a key hub linking eastern sea routes with western land routes, making it one of the most convenient sea ports for Central Asia.

In 2022, the number of freight trains between Lianyungang and destinations in Europe and Central Asia reached 702, an increase of 13.6% year-on-year. This year, the city continued to utilize the intermodal transport by increasing the connection with traders in Japan and South Korea. The train has been used to transport new variety of goods from the five countries in Central Asia for exporting to the world via the hub, and also deliver goods like auto parts from Japan and South Korea to Central Asia markets.

To expand the transport network, Jiangsu opened a new trade roue linking Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in October 2022. A cargo train departed from the logistics base in Lianyungang and reached Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from where the freights were then transported by trucks to Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan.