This year’s 1st Central Asia express train arrives in Tashkent
2024-06-26 15:06:10
By Chen Si, Yichang International Communication Studio
Yichang's first China-Central Asia Railway Express of 2024 arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, on June 24.
Tashkent will host the 4th Asian Youth Games in 2025. The train, which departed from Yanwumiao Station in Yichang, carried 20 TEUs of high-quality ceramic tiles for use in some of the venues in the local "Olympic City".
In the past, Yichang exported ceramic tiles to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Previously, the tiles were transported by a hybrid road and railway model or by railway boxcars. However, due to the difference in railway track width between China and Uzbekistan, the tiles had to be unloaded from Chinese freight cars and loaded onto Uzbekistani cars, resulting in significant product damage.
"The gauge of China's railway track is 1,435 millimeters, but Uzbekistan's track is 1,520 millimeters. The previous rail transportation method could carry more tiles, but unloading and loading at the border often caused a high rate of cargo damage," said Xia Tao, a Yichang freight department employee at the Wuhan Railway Logistics Center.
To prepare for this batch of tile exports, railway staff members visited dozens of ceramic manufacturing companies near Yanwumiao Station. They collaborated multiple times with large enterprises to customize logistics services for them.
This China-Central Asia freight train utilized special cargo pallets for the tiles and optimized methods to minimize pile movements on the road. This new model not only reduced the cargo damage rate but also improved transportation efficiency.
"According to our calculations, this model saved cargo owners more than 100,000 yuan (US$13,768) in transporting these 20 TEUs of tiles," said Mao Jinsong, Chief Economist of the Yichang Logistics Industry Development Centre.
Yichang's first China-Central Asia Railway Express of 2024 arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, on June 24.
Tashkent will host the 4th Asian Youth Games in 2025. The train, which departed from Yanwumiao Station in Yichang, carried 20 TEUs of high-quality ceramic tiles for use in some of the venues in the local "Olympic City".
In the past, Yichang exported ceramic tiles to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Previously, the tiles were transported by a hybrid road and railway model or by railway boxcars. However, due to the difference in railway track width between China and Uzbekistan, the tiles had to be unloaded from Chinese freight cars and loaded onto Uzbekistani cars, resulting in significant product damage.
"The gauge of China's railway track is 1,435 millimeters, but Uzbekistan's track is 1,520 millimeters. The previous rail transportation method could carry more tiles, but unloading and loading at the border often caused a high rate of cargo damage," said Xia Tao, a Yichang freight department employee at the Wuhan Railway Logistics Center.
To prepare for this batch of tile exports, railway staff members visited dozens of ceramic manufacturing companies near Yanwumiao Station. They collaborated multiple times with large enterprises to customize logistics services for them.
This China-Central Asia freight train utilized special cargo pallets for the tiles and optimized methods to minimize pile movements on the road. This new model not only reduced the cargo damage rate but also improved transportation efficiency.
"According to our calculations, this model saved cargo owners more than 100,000 yuan (US$13,768) in transporting these 20 TEUs of tiles," said Mao Jinsong, Chief Economist of the Yichang Logistics Industry Development Centre.
