Hunan aims to smooth the rail-water intermodal transportation and focuses on promoting container and bulk cargo rail-water intermodal transportation in inland ports. 

The cargo throughput of Changsha Port rose 12.85% year on year to 13,250,900 tons in the first eleven months this year. During this period, the port’s container throughput amounted to 242,000 TEUs, an increase of 21.27%.

The “Xin’gang No.1” train loaded with steel slowly pulled into the ro-ro terminal in the Xia’ning Port Area of Changsha Port on the morning of December 14. The train ran along Changsha’s first dedicated railway line for port transportation opened in July this year. The railway line starts from Changsha North Railway Station, with a total length of 4.48 km. Its operation opened up the “last kilometer” of Changsha’s rail-water intermodal transport.

“The goods transported on this special railway line are mainly steel from LY Steel and Xiangtan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., including coil steel, steel plate and rebar,” said Peng Yazhou, director of the Production and Operation Department of Changsha New Port Co., Ltd. 

He added that the peak period for the arrival of goods is from 26th of each month to 5th of the following month. After arriving at the Changsha Port, the goods will be shipped to customers successively. 

Compared with the original rail transport or road transport, the rail-water intermodal transport is estimated to reduce the logistics cost of enterprises by 10 to 15 yuan per ton, saving 7 million yuan to 10 million yuan in logistics costs per year.

The Changsha Port is equipped with a 12,000-sqm railway transfer indoor warehouse, providing high-quality all-weather loading, unloading and transit services for goods using the rail-water intermodal transport service. 

As of December 6, a total of 4,564 carloads of goods transported by the special railway line of Changsha Port have been unloaded, with a freight volume of about 248,000 tons. The railway freight volume is expected to reach 300,000 tons this year.