China-Europe Railway Express
The first direct freight trains from Southwest China to the Dutch capital Amsterdam and British port city Felixstowe have departed from the Chengdu International Railway Port. This marks the formal opening of another two overseas stops of the transportation hub. CGTN's Ma Ke reports from the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Two freight trains carrying electronic devices and medical supplies have left for Amsterdam and Felixstowe on the eighth anniversary of the Chengdu-Europe railway express.They are the latest additions to the now 61 lines of the Chengdu International Railway Port, which plays a vital part in building Southwest China into a westbound gateway for foreign trade.
ROLAND VERBRAAK
General Manager, GVT Freight Management (the Netherlands)
"Eastbound cargo is growing very rapidly so we found a lot of customers for that. We started with once a week, and currently we're running the train at four times a week. That's not just milk powder, but also beer and cars."
ZHENG SHUANGLI
Operations Director, Chengdu International Railway Port
"The advantages of rail transport have been further recognized by businesses in foreign trade. For example, the cost is only one-eighth that of air freight, and the time needed is only one-third that of maritime shipping. Rail is much more reliable, especially in the post-epidemic era."
MA KE Chengdu "The railway port not only connects businesses in the Chengdu-Chongqing area with customers in Europe, but also other Chinese cities. So far, the port has cooperated with 20 other transportation hubs to facilitate internal economic circulation."
On Monday, the Chengdu railway port signed cooperation terms with one of the largest shipping ports in East China – the Zhoushan port. It's part of plans to optimize logistics services for businesses in East Asia. Ma Ke, CGTN, Chengdu.
来源：CGTN
