(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

A cargo train departed from a logistics park near Wuxi West Railway Station on April 16, marking Jiangsu’s first rail-road intermodal transport route connecting Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Upon arrival in Kashgar, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the cargo will be transferred to road transport via Kyrgyzstan to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

The new freight service opens up a trade corridor from southern Jiangsu to Central Asia, offering enterprises a faster and more cost-effective logistics solution.

The new rail-road transport can help reduce customs clearance time for a single consignment by around three days, while cutting the number of data items for declaration by 30%. Additionally, the use of the same containers throughout the entire journey improves transshipment efficiency and helps reduce safety risks such as cargo damage and delays at transfer ports.

Teng Ben, head of Marketing Department at Wuxi International Rail-Freight Express, said efforts will be made to develop overseas service networks, including local container return points and door-to-door delivery services. “We hope to establish a regular monthly operation of the rail-road intermodal freight service from Wuxi,” he added.