On June 1, 2024, accompanied by the loud whistle, the first intercity test train of the Beijing-Ping Comprehensive Logistics Hub departed from Qingdao Port. The train was fully loaded with 18 40-foot containers and about 500 tons of goods, heading north all the way to Beijing. This marks the interconnection and two-way travel between the Beijing-Qingdao economic circle, which brings new opportunities for the economic development of Beijing and surrounding areas, and also adds new vitality to the construction of the capital's logistics highland. It will further promote the construction of Beijing's "two districts" and the construction of an international consumer center city, and better integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative and the domestic and international dual circulation development pattern.

Deepen the linkage between the two cities and two ports

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out many times when investigating different ports: "We must continue to promote port transformation and upgrading and resource integration" and "play a greater role in promoting the coordinated development of regional economy and building a modern industrial system." Qingdao Port is located in the center of the Bohai Rim port group, the Yangtze River Delta port group, and the Japan-Korea port group. It is an important carrier for building a new development pattern of dual circulation and building a port-type national logistics hub. As an important node of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, Pinggu District gives full play to its unique location advantages and the good conditions of the Beijing-Pinggu International Land Port, and actively promotes the cooperation with Shandong Port Logistics Group to test the "Qingdao Port-Beijing Mafang" intercity train. This train innovates the new transportation mode of "existing sea-rail combined transport train + intercity freight train between hubs", adopting the sea-rail combined transport train from Qingdao Port to Linqing in the first half of the journey, and the intercity freight train from Linqing Luxi International Land Port to Beijing-Pinggu Comprehensive Logistics Hub in the second half of the journey, realizing the efficient transportation of the two trains, and playing an important role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, innovating transportation organization models, and promoting logistics cost reduction and efficiency. The test operation of the "Qingdao Port-Beijing Mafang" intercity train will also further promote the extension of port functions to the inland, realize the coordinated development of the "two ports" of seaports and land ports, and work together to create a new situation of coordinated development of the two cities and two ports.

Opening up the international logistics artery

As a comprehensive logistics port serving the capital, Pinggu District has always focused on the coordinated development of land ports and seaports in recent years, and strived to build a high-level gateway hub for opening up to the outside world. So far, the China-Europe Express has been launched at the Beijing-Pinggu Comprehensive Logistics Hub, marking the first China-Europe Express in Beijing, opening up a new channel for international trade. It will be put into regular operation from July this year, and efforts will be made to create a "Beijing model" for the China-Europe Express. At the same time, we will deepen the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, strengthen the connection with Tianjin Port, and regularly run the Tianjin Port-Pinggu sea-rail intermodal train. We will work together to create a demonstration project for coordinated development, accelerate the construction of a multimodal transport system and a dual-port linkage pattern, and promote the reduction of transportation costs by deepening multimodal transport. In the next step, Pinggu District will cooperate with Shandong Port Logistics Group and Beijing Railway Bureau in a wider range and at a higher level, give full play to their existing resource advantages in infrastructure, port services and railway transportation, further achieve complementary advantages, coordinated development, mutual benefit and win-win results, and promote the construction of a large channel for the capital's commercial logistics to "enter and exit far, enter and exit in large quantities, and enter and exit quickly", and integrate into the overall development pattern of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Implementing the project of strengthening the foundation

Railway is a major national strategic, leading and key infrastructure and the backbone of the comprehensive transportation system. Its status and role in promoting high-quality development of the national economy, building a modern logistics system and realizing Chinese-style modernization are crucial. As a national multimodal transport demonstration, Pinggu District will accelerate the improvement of railway infrastructure construction, further enhance the comprehensive carrying capacity, channel transportation capacity, port service level of the Beijing-Pinggu Comprehensive Logistics Hub, and strive to transform railway resources into new driving forces for urban development. Recently, in line with the goal of "integrating into the national railway, connecting north and south, and improving quality and efficiency", Pinggu District is actively planning three major projects of "H"-type railway capacity expansion and transformation. After all projects are completed, they will form an "H"-shaped layout with the existing Beijing-Harbin Railway and the planned freight east ring line, and strive to create a safe, efficient, stable, intelligent and economical railway transportation network, and build a modern logistics system of "channel + hub + network". At the same time, we will actively expand the functions of land ports, build a good Pinggu local railway customs supervision area, promote the pre-placement of customs clearance procedures, realize the integration of customs clearance such as customs declaration, inspection, bonded, and logistics, help Beijing build a new inland opening highland, and better serve the new development pattern of domestic and international dual circulation.

The launch of the "Qingdao Port-Beijing Mafang" intercity test train is a concrete practice to explore the extension of port functions to the inland and promote regional economic cooperation. It is also an active exploration to implement the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the adjustment of transportation structure, win the battle to protect the blue sky, and fight the battle to prevent and control pollution. In the next step, Pinggu District will focus on effectively reducing the logistics costs of the whole society, take the Beijing-Pinggu Comprehensive Logistics Hub as the main position, combine the advantages of railway trunk line transportation and the needs of logistics companies in inland areas, strengthen the docking and cooperation with domestic ports, land ports and main cargo source cities such as Shandong Qingdao Port, Zhejiang Ningbo Port, Fuzhou Mawei Port, Chongqing Shapingba Dry Port, and jointly explore the launch of more domestic intercity trains, and enhance new realms, build new advantages, open up new tracks, and create new engines in the implementation of national strategies and serving the development of the capital in the new era.Editor/Zhao E