On the Xiaonanya freight yard, the mechanical arm of the intelligent gantry crane keeps rising and falling, and the collision sound between the container and the steel rail keeps coming and going. The iron sea intermodal train loaded with motorcycle parts and chemicals departed on time and headed south.

As of the end of July, the number of railway trains running through the Western Land Sea New Corridor in Chongqing has exceeded 1100, with 961 trains operating in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 25.6%. Continuous high temperatures did not slow down the pace, but instead made the hub operate more tightly.

The triple thrust behind the 961 trains in six months

According to statistics from China Railway Chengdu Bureau, the number of train services in the first half of the year increased by 25.6% year-on-year, and Chongqing Customs disclosed an import and export volume of 28.71 billion yuan during the same period, an increase of 13.7% year-on-year.

Behind the growth is a combination of multiple factors: firstly, Chongqing has accelerated its overseas expansion, with the Changan Qiyuan Q05 model's KD parts being shipped to Thailand through the Western Land Sea New Channel. In the first half of the year, over 6000 units (sets) were produced, and the trade volume exceeded 200 million yuan, reducing transportation time by about 30% compared to traditional sea freight; Secondly, the aluminum industry supply chain trains have adopted a new type of 20 foot 35 ton wide body container transportation, reducing railway freight costs by 40% to 50% and saving transportation time by one day; Thirdly, in July alone, the container shipment volume at Xiaonanya Station exceeded 4900 TEUs, with an average daily loading of nearly 160 TEUs, setting a summer peak since the station's opening.

Hub operation continues to heat up

Under the high temperature, Xiaonanya Station also set a historical record of over 700 vehicles unloaded in a single day. As the main arrival and departure point of the Jiangjin train on the new land and sea channel in the west, Xiaonanya Station, covering an area of 1500 mu, has 12 arrival and departure tracks and 4 intelligent gantry cranes, connecting the Yangtze River Economic Belt at one end and radiating the countries along the the Belt and Road at the other. Key words: new land sea channel in western China, the Belt and Road, cross-border logistics

As of the end of June, the channel has reached 128 countries and regions and 596 ports worldwide. The current train continues southward from Xiaonanya, and this new passage is shortening the distance between Chongqing and the ocean.Editor/Cheng Liting