New rail-sea freight train departs from Guoyuan port

The newly launched freight train marks a new breakthrough in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

The international rail-sea freight train from the Yangtze River to the Indo-China Peninsula departed from Guoyuan port, Liangjiang New Area, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, on April 7, loaded with motorcycle spare parts made in Chongqing and farm produce from Northwest China.

The route is an integral part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and marks the first such route to Myanmar from Guoyuan port.

As a new channel between southwestern China and the Indian Ocean, the freight train will reportedly travel through Vientiane – the largest city and capital of Laos – where cargo will be transferred by road and through Thailand before finally arriving in Myanmar.

Since the launch of the route, transport time from Chongqing to the Indo-China Peninsula has been reduced by 20 days, according to Niu Xiandan, an official at Guoyuan port.

Zhu Feng, a business manager at Chongqing Heyu International Logistics Co, said that the new route managed to reduce shipping costs for products destined for Thailand by 50 percent.

Guoyuan port currently boasts sixteen 5,000-ton-level berths and 14 railway lines for special purposes. Its complete multimodal transport system has made it a crucial hub linking West China to the rest of the world.