Express Rail Linking Xiamen to Europe Expected to be Put into Service in July

The new Xiamen-Chengdu-Xinjiang-Europe express rail is expected to be launched in July. Businesses can save by 20 to 30 percent of clearance costs, according to the agreement.

The Chengdu-Europe express rail freight service was put into operation in April, 2013. This 9,826 km railway is the fastest cargo passage from China to Europe. It runs through Chengdu, Baoji, Lanzhou, Alataw Pass, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Lodz in Poland. It was recently extended to Xiamen's Haicang District, cutting transportation time from Xiamen to Europe to about 15 days -- 30 to 45 days faster than maritime transportation -- and the cost will be only one fourth of air freight shipping costs.

The Chengdu-Europe express rail's overland route coincides with the route of the ancient Silk Road, a vital trade artery in ancient China.

As a core area of Xiamen's free trade zone and a container distribution center, Haicang District is a favored destination of the newly extended Chengdu-Europe express rail.

Because of the new express rail, electronic products and seafood can be sent directly from Xiamen to Europe, and agricultural and luxury products from Europe can be sent to Fujian Province and Taiwan via Chengdu faster and more economically.