In the container yard of Qinzhou Port East Station, construction machinery parts that have just been transported from the Sichuan Chongqing region are neatly stacked and waiting to be boarded and sent to ASEAN ports. As of October 6, 2026, the annual freight volume of the rail sea intermodal trains on the Western Land Sea New Corridor has exceeded 1 million TEUs. This southbound logistics artery is connecting the industrial supply chain in the southwestern hinterland more closely with the global market.

Two way cargo flow unleashes the vitality of the hinterland industry

In 2026, the demand for two-way cargo flow in the Western Land Sea New Corridor continues to rise. The cumulative freight volume of freight trains from Chongqing to Qinzhou Port reached 120000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 31.7%. The export volume of industrial products such as automotive parts, engineering machinery, tires, etc. has significantly increased, with an overall growth rate of 95%. The manufacturing capacity in the Southwest region is connecting more efficiently with ASEAN and global markets through this channel.

The transportation of industrial and mining raw materials with reverse reflux also maintained high-speed growth. The cumulative volume of trains from Qinzhou Port to Chongqing reached 53000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 28.7%. The transportation volume of industrial raw materials such as quartz sand, spodumene, zinc concentrate, etc. has surged nearly three times year-on-year. The supply and demand of raw materials for new energy and advanced manufacturing industries in the southwest region are receiving more stable support through channels. During the maintenance period of the Three Gorges ship lift on the Yangtze River in September, the two-way freight volume of the channel increased by 106.9% and 119.5% respectively year-on-year, effectively receiving diverted goods and stabilizing the basic import and export logistics in the southwest region.

Synchronized expansion of infrastructure and train network

The infrastructure construction of the Western Land Sea New Corridor has entered a period of concentrated implementation, and the construction of the Qinfang Railway Qingang Railway Second Line has entered the final stage. The two lines will be opened and put into use successively in 2026 and the first half of 2027, and the railway transportation capacity behind the Beibu Gulf Port will be greatly improved.

After the implementation of the national railway map adjustment in the fourth quarter, the number of new channel map scheduled train operating lines has increased to 54, and 2 new fixed train lines have been added, further weaving the logistics network of Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, and China Vietnam ports. The collaborative linkage mechanism between road enterprises continues to be optimized, and key information such as the progress of loading and unloading of goods from the source to the yard, transportation capacity allocation, etc. is shared in real time. The waiting and stopping time of trains is continuously compressed, and the overall operational efficiency of the channel is steadily improving. Keywords: Western Land Sea New Channel, Cross border Logistics

The shore crane at Qinzhou Port's automated terminal slowly descended, and another fully loaded container train departed from Qinzhou Port East Station. This continuously expanding southbound channel is upgrading from a logistics trunk line to a core economic corridor supporting the development of southwest industries.Editor/Cheng Liting