A long whistle pierced the sky above the platform. Recently, a train originating from Shaanxi, loaded with hundreds of containers and over 3000 tons of coal, slowly entered the Changzhi Land Port International Logistics Park. At the moment when the wheels came to a complete stop, a new energy channel spanning northwest and southeast Shanxi was opened, and the Shaanxi Gansu Ningxia Xinjiang Mongolia coal direct to Changzhi Land Port train was officially put into operation.

Northwest Coal is coming by train

In recent times, facing the complex market environment and the shortcomings of a single local resource structure, Changzhi Land Port International Logistics Park has taken the initiative to adapt, based on its main logistics business, focusing on the development ideas of extending, supplementing, and strengthening the chain, actively exploring external markets, building cross regional energy cooperation channels, connecting with major coal producing areas such as Shaanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia, implementing coal railway processing business outside the province, and striving to build a new pattern of coal incremental value-added integration between upstream and downstream.

It is reported that the upstream radiation area of the train covers Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and the starting stations involve areas under the jurisdiction of Xi'an Bureau, Lanzhou Bureau, Urumqi Bureau, Hohhot Bureau, etc. The source of goods from five provinces and four major railway bureaus intersects in Changzhi, which means that this channel is not a point-to-point short line from the beginning stage, but a distribution network covering the main coal producing areas in the northwest. With the normalization of train services, the number of coal container trains from other provinces arriving at the park will continue to increase. Compared to traditional open top truck transportation, container transportation is fully enclosed, resulting in significantly reduced losses and dust during transportation. It is also easier to connect with highways and ports, making it a typical landing scenario for rail and multimodal transport.

Ground processing for added value

The transportation of coal is just the first step. After various types of coal arrive in the park, storage, screening, blending, and deep processing will be carried out locally to effectively enrich the regional coal supply categories, optimize the local resource supply structure, and further enhance the park's radiation guarantee ability to downstream markets. Changzhi is located in the southeast of Shanxi, adjacent to the Central Plains consumer market, and naturally has the conditions of connecting the north and south, and linking the east and west. Transporting coal from the northwest here for blending and processing, and then delivering it precisely according to the needs of downstream power plants, chemical and building materials enterprises, the role of Changzhi Land Port has also changed: it is no longer just a transit station for goods, but a processing node and value-added platform embedded in the industrial chain, and the stickiness between the park and upstream and downstream enterprises has been enhanced.

Stable channel ensures energy supply

Energy supply guarantee, channel first. Next, Changzhi Land Port International Logistics Park will continue to consolidate the cross regional railway coal transportation channel, continuously improve the integrated service system of coal distribution, blending processing, warehousing and logistics, fully unleash the agglomeration advantages of the land port platform, and inject strong momentum into the energy supply guarantee and high-quality development of modern logistics industry in Shanxi Province.

From a single whistle to regular operation, from simple coal transportation to on-site processing, this train not only carries more than 3000 tons of coal, but also represents an active turn for Changzhi Land Port to expand its market outward and make up for its shortcomings inward. If the channel is stable, the supply will be stable, and the confidence of regional energy security will be stronger.Editor/Yang Meiling