The whistle sounded from Baotou Wanshuiquan South Station, and the freight train loaded with coke slowly drove out of the platform and headed eastward towards Huanghua Port. The train, which will be launched on August 12, 2026, is the first double decker and semi high box rail sea intermodal train in China that is suitable for bulk cargo transportation. It completely connects the seamless connection between railway double decker transportation and sea transportation, and provides a feasible solution for the long-standing problems of complicated transit, high cargo damage, and limited transportation capacity in bulk cargo logistics.

Box innovation breaks through transportation limitations

This transportation uses a 1.7-meter-and-a-high box, paired with a multifunctional flat car to complete double-layer stacking, with an overall height that meets the railway's 4.8-meter limit standard, smoothly landing in the double-layer railway transportation mode. The box adopts a fully open top design, which can directly fill coke. The side box door is convenient for inspection and loading and unloading, suitable for various bulk cargo such as coal and coke, and the cargo loading utilization rate is increased by more than 25%.

The traditional standard container has a height of 2.6 meters, and double-layer stacking will exceed the railway limit and cannot be used on the road. In addition, due to the high density of bulk cargo, the upper limit of container load is reached before the capacity, and nearly one-third of the space at the top of the container is idle for a long time, resulting in continuous waste of transportation resources. After switching to half height containers, the single row transportation capacity has increased by over 30%, fully unleashing the railway freight carrying capacity. The box specifications are unified, and existing port and railway loading and unloading equipment can be directly matched for use without the need for additional facility renovation.

One box direct, streamlined, and multi-level transit

In the past, bulk goods such as coal and coke were transported by open trucks and ton bags, with more than five loading, unloading, and transportation processes, making it difficult to avoid cargo loss. Calculated at a unit price of 1800 yuan per ton of coke, the cost of loss per ton of goods can reach 18 yuan. The specifications of railway and sea freight containers are not unified, and goods arriving at the port must be transshipped. During the loading and unloading process, leakage is prone to occur, further increasing cargo damage and labor costs.

Half height containers have the ability to be directly loaded onto ships, enabling full container transportation throughout the entire process. After the coke is filled and sealed in the factory area, it can be transported directly to Huanghua Port by railway, and then transported by short distance road to the container terminal for direct shipment to sea, saving more than five transit processes at once. No need to open or change boxes throughout the entire process, eliminating the loss of goods caused by container dumping from the source, and reducing the overall unit transportation cost by more than a quarter. The relevant person in charge of Hebei Port Group stated that container transfer was the biggest pain point for bulk cargo rail sea intermodal transportation before, and the semi high container transportation mode solved this industry problem from the process.

Two way circulation creates a new logistics model

Shortening the height of the box may seem simple, but behind it lies a large amount of technical research and development by the R&D team. The project has completed multiple rounds of heavy load impact testing, and the key load-bearing parts of the box have been re optimized to ensure the safety and stability of the entire double-layer heavy load transportation process. Keywords: semi high container, rail sea intermodal transportation, bulk cargo

The train transportation channel can achieve bidirectional circulation of heavy and heavy return. After fully loaded coke arrives at Huanghua Port for unloading and loading, the return journey can undertake the supply of alumina, iron ore and other goods, avoiding the waste of transportation resources caused by empty train operation. Experts from the Water Transport Science Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport introduced that previously, there were only three types of transportation routes for bulk cargo: bulk carriers, whole vehicle railways, and ordinary containers. The double decker and semi high container intermodal transport has opened up a new logistics path of not changing containers or opening boxes to the end, filling the gap in the development of bulk cargo rail sea intermodal transport and providing a replicable and promotable standardized new model for multimodal transport of similar bulk commodities nationwide.Editor/Huang jiali