The First Cross-border Special Freight Train Departed from Shuangliu, Chengdu to Hanoi, Vietnam

On April 18, a departure ceremony was held at Chengdu (Shuangliu) Air-rail International Intermodal Port for the first cross-border special freight train from Shuangliu, Chengdu to Hanoi, Vietnam. After setting out from Shuangliu, the train will cross the border at the Pingxiang Railway Port, and travel southwards along the China-Vietnam Railway for 5 to 7 days before arriving at Hanoi, Vietnam.

This train signifies that a new logistics channel for economic and trade has been opened up between Shuangliu, Chengdu, which is an important gateway in southwest China, and ASEAN.

Shuangliu has always been an important hub in western China. In March this year, Shuangliu opened the first international digital trade train along the China-Laos Railway; in April, a new land-sea channel train was launched, connecting Chengdu (Shuangliu) Air-rail International Intermodal Port with major surrounding cities.

The Air-rail International Intermodal Port has led to closer trade ties between Chengdu and ASEAN countries. The first cross-border special freight train carries 40 containers fully loaded with around 32-million-yuan worth of aluminum profiles manufactured by a local company based in Shuangliu. After being packaged at the doorstep of the local company, goods can be directly delivered to clients after the train moves across the border at the Pingxiang Railway Port.

The CFO of the company said, “We used to export goods to Vietnam by automobile transport. This is the first time we use rail transport.” This new way of delivering goods is expected to save 20% of freight costs and 30% of time for customers in Vietnam.

In addition to the customized special freight train, public trains are also steadily available at Chengdu (Shuangliu) Air-rail International Intermodal Port.

Since it was put into operation last year, Chengdu (Shuangliu) Air-rail International Intermodal Port has successively opened multiple new rail lines to Vientiane, Laos via Mohan Port, or Port of Manila, Philippines via Qinzhou Port. These new lines are designed to help local companies leverage the global supply chain to procure materials, and produce and sell goods. As of now, a total of 52 international trains have set out from the port. These trains have shipped 1,937 TEUs of containers, with the value of imports and exports reaching 320 million yuan in total.

Source: Chengdu (Shuangliu) Air-rail International Intermodal Port