New trade center to support China-Euro rail line

The first weekly goods train from Chongqing to Europe is scheduled to depart on April 8.

The train, an important transport bridge between East and West, will carry goods from central, southwestern and southern China to Europe. It will travel along the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe railway, leaving from Chongqing and arriving at Duisburg, Germany.

These regular cargo services will be different from the ones which are reserved for special orders, particularly IT products.

"Products other than IT products can be taken to Europe on the new service," says Yang Liqiong, deputy director of Chongqing's Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology and head of the Municipal Logistics Office. He says that discounts will be given depending on the size of the shipment. Each container costs from $5,000 (3,630 euros) to $8,000.

Since the first service to Germany in 2011, 95 train services have carried cargo on the railway from Chongqing. The debut return cargo service started from Duisburg at the end of February last year and arrived in Chongqing on March 18.

Yang says more than 100 regularly scheduled trains will start from Chongqing. Two trains a week will run in April and May. From June to November, three trains a week will leave from Chongqing.

All trains will depart from Chongqing Tuanjiecun station at 12:05 pm. A total of 12 return cargo trips are planned for this year, starting in May. To increase the benefits of the improved rail service, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area will build a town for free trade at the city's bonded port. Work will begin on March 29 and is expected to be in use by November 2015.

The Chongqing Free Trade Port Town has received 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion; 1.17 billion euros) in investments, and the project will include hotels, shopping malls and office buildings.

The town will be built around a trade center, which was established in 2011. The center is a commercial platform for businesspeople in China and abroad to exchange information and products.

About 400 companies have established operations in the center, 13 of which are among the top 500 companies in the world.

Contact the writers through tanyingzi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/28/2014 page10)