China's railway authorities launched a 20-day express delivery operation on Sunday to handle the Singles' Day online shopping rush, with high-speed rail express capacity expected to increase 10 percent year-on-year, according to China Railway Express.
Singles' Day, also known as Double 11, is a major annual shopping festival in China centered on Nov 11, when online promotions generate a surge in parcel deliveries.
China Railway Express, a logistics provider under China State Railway Group, the national railway operator, combines rail transport with road pickup and delivery to offer door-to-door services. The special operation runs through Nov 20.
The expanded services come as China's express delivery market continues to grow. The sector handled 151.3 billion parcels in the first nine months of this year, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, according to the State Post Bureau.
China's extensive high-speed rail network allows express shipments to move between cities using spare capacity on passenger trains as well as dedicated freight services. Together with conventional rail routes and road transportation, the network helps connect producers with consumers nationwide, particularly for time-sensitive goods such as fresh food and flowers.
During the shopping peak, about 1,900 high-speed passenger trains a day will carry parcels in express storage cabinets and available space, while 78 trains will provide dedicated carriages or designated areas for shipments. Another 43 early-morning high-speed trains operating without passengers will also transport express goods.
Three trains dedicated entirely to high-speed express shipments will run on routes linking Kunming and Chengdu, as well as Chengdu, Guangyuan and Guiyang. Conventional passenger and freight trains will provide additional capacity.
One of the dedicated trains arrived at Shuangliu west station in Chengdu, Sichuan province, at 10:50 am on Monday, carrying flowers, clothing, online shopping orders and other goods from Luoyangzhen station in Kunming, Yunnan province.
Converted from a passenger train, the eight-carriage service is used exclusively for freight and can travel at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. Shipments from Chengdu include Sichuan liquor and tea, electronics and clothing, while flowers and seasonal fruit are among the main goods transported in the opposite direction.
The trains have been fully loaded every day since the shopping peak began on Sunday, according to China Railway Chengdu Group, the regional railway operator. Daily outbound shipments at Shuangliu west are expected to approach 60 metric tons, while inbound shipments are projected to reach nearly 50 tons.
Zhang Ping, head of Shuangliu west station, said the station was coordinating with China Railway Express on cargo inspections, security checks and loading procedures to ensure safe and punctual operations.
Faster rail transportation is also helping producers of perishable goods reduce losses and retain customers.
On Monday, five boxes of live fish from Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province, packed with additional oxygen, were loaded onto a high-speed train at Ji'an west station. They arrived at Hangzhou east station in Zhejiang province four and a half hours later, allowing customers to collect them on the same day, according to China Railway Nanchang Group, the regional railway operator.
Fish farmer Yin Yinlan said long road journeys had previously caused her considerable concern over oxygen levels during transportation.
"When they run out of oxygen, they turn belly-up. Losing a few fish in each box means earning much less from that shipment," she said.
Rail transportation has cut the journey to just over four hours, helping keep the fish alive and encouraging repeat orders, she said.
"Customers are willing to order again only if the fish arrive alive and in good condition," she said.
Another shipment from Jiangxi province on Monday — 11 boxes of eggs from black-boned chickens — arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao station after a five-and-a-half-hour high-speed train journey, with no breakages reported.
Nationwide, China Railway Express's urgent delivery service covers 196 major cities, offering door-to-door delivery in as little as four hours. The company is also adding refrigeration equipment and cold storage packaging to support shipments of meat, seafood and other seasonal products.
