From China to Spain by rail

Zebra

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From China to Spain by rail - Railway Gazette

09 Dec 2014

NTERNATIONAL: The first direct rail freight service to operate between China and Spain arrived at ADIF's Madrid Abroñigal intermodal terminal on December 9, welcomed by Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor. Carrying a total of 30 containers, the train had left Yiwu in China on November 18, covering 13 000 km in 21 days.

The route via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France involved a change of gauge at three border crossings, as well as locomotive changes approximately every 800 km. The service was operated by InterRail Services and DB Schenker Rail, with DB's Spanish subsidiary Transfesa providing traction on the final leg to Madrid.

The through service is the result of initiatives agreed by the governments of China and Spain in September 2014 to develop closer trading relations. The Spanish Ministry of Development points out that the trial has demonstrated the 'reliable, versatile and competitive' nature of rail freight, the overland journey having saved over 10 days of transit time compared to sea freight.
 

Zebra

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amoy

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a uniform gauge is the way to go on the silk road.
 
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amoy

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unit cost may be rather high compared to sea freight which is often on mega ships carrying as many as 18,000 containers with multiple calls of ports on Asia Europe strings.
 

SLASH

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unit cost may be rather high compared to sea freight which is often on mega ships carrying as many as 18,000 containers with multiple calls of ports on Asia Europe strings.
It may be higher for shipments from Chinese Eastern provinces to Spain, however, from the Northern provinces it may be cheaper, because than they can reduce the road transport cost. Also think of the cost advantages for shipment from China to Russia, Belarus and Poland. Or from Russia to Spain. It is a boon to that sector.
 

sgarg

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unit cost may be rather high compared to sea freight which is often on mega ships carrying as many as 18,000 containers with multiple calls of ports on Asia Europe strings.
Efficient container transfer system is possible at the place of gauge change. Changing tracks is difficult.
Long trains of 100 containers are possible which will reduce the costs. Trains are more flexible compared to ships as trains serve inland destinations directly.
 

Ray

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I hope China has a passenger train service too.

The Chinese come cheap.

If they show their cheapness, then it will be a roaring business for all to go to Europe and vice versa.
 

amoy

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World's longest rail link opens - China direct to Spain - Business - NZ Herald News

The train will return to China with wine, olive oil and cured ham.

Speaking at a ceremony in Madrid, Li Qiang, the Governor of China's Zhejiang province where Yiwu is located, said the route was important to "implement the strategy of developing a new 'Silk Road"'.

China has a regular direct freight train service to Germany, Europe's largest economy.

One route links the Chinese megacity of Chongqing to Duisburg, a steel-making town and one of Germany's most important transportation and commercial hubs.

The other route links Beijing, the Chinese capital, to Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city.

The plan is to create a similar regular route between China and Spain, Spanish Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said told reporters after the train arrived at a logistical centre near Madrid's main railway station on Tuesday.

The Spanish capital already is "a European and international distribution hub" with good links to both Africa and Latin America, she said.

Euro Cargo Rail, a subsidiary of German freight operator DB Shenker Rail, is studying the possibility of starting a regular service between China and Spain during the first half of 2015 with two-monthly trips.

Roughly 80 per cent of global trade is shipped by boat as freight train services face several technical and bureaucratic hurdles which vary according to country.

The goods on the train which arrived in Madrid, for example, had to be transferred to different wagons at three points during the trip because of incompatible track gauges in different countries.

But rail transport is less expensive, more environmentally friendly and faster than maritime shipping, according to DB Shenker Rail.

China is the European Union's biggest source of imports, according to the European Commission.
 

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