Rail helps bridge economic potential

Located west of the Yellow Sea and east of Bohai Sea roughly in the middle of the Liaodong peninsula at its narrowest neck, Dalian has developed a sound sea-to-rail transport network.

The city boasts seven container railway routes to inland cities like the provincial capital of Shenyang, Harbin in the neighboring Heilongjiang Province and Tumen in Jilin Province.

Official figures show that Dalian now has 145,000 sq m of container yards and more than 7,000 sq m of professional warehouse space. Last year, the Dalian sea-rail network carried about 160,000 containers, the top network in the country.

The construction of the 22-km Jinzhou-Dayaowan railway was finished within one year, which planners considered a miracle.

The Yantan-Dalian railway ferry project, a golden route that connects the country's northeastern region to Shandong Province and the Yangtze Delta, has also started trial operation.

The Ministry of Railways has also given the green light on construction of the Dalian-Changxing Island railway project and offered financial help.

The Dalian Port railway and a center station for railway containers are also under construction.

A major logistics area in the city - the Dalian Bonded Logistics Zone - last year witnessed the flow of about $5.5 billion worth of commodities, up 800 percent over the previous year. The figure in the first half of this year had increased by about 300 percent over the same period last year.

At the same time, 14 infrastructure construction projects of another logistics zone in Dalian - the Xianglujiao Logistics Park - are now under construction.

Four of the world's top 500 enterprises - B&Q, IKEA, METRO and Decathlon - have established a presence in the park.

Dalian has also developed a land logistics base. So far, the base has witnessed the operation of more than 100 transport routes and the settlement of more than 1,000 enterprises. Dalian is also considered a major logistics center for the transportation of grain in the northern region.

The city has also opened its door to foreign logistics enterprises. So far, 15 of the top 20 shipping companies and all of the four express companies in the world have opened branches or offices in Dalian.

Official figures show that Dalian now has more than 1,300 logistics enterprises and 358 warehouse-type enterprises. These warehouses have an annual trade volume of 33 million tons, three times the figure in 2003.

The city has also commenced a qualification evaluation system for professionals in the logistics industry.

(China Daily 09/07/2007 page41)