Regular rail-truck intermodal service links Tianjin and Kazakhstan

(ECNS) -- A freight train carrying 40 standard containers departed from Tianjin International Land Port on Thursday, marking the official launch of a regular rail-truck intermodal service between Tianjin and Kazakhstan.

The train exits China via Baktu Port in Xinjiang, where the containers are transferred to road transport and simultaneously forwarded to four Kazakh cities, including Almaty, Sorokovaya, Astana, and Shymkent.

The cargo contains consumer goods, agricultural equipment, industrial parts, production machinery, and auto components, with shipments precisely tailored to local demand.

The shipping model combines the high capacity and low cost of rail with the flexibility of road transport. It effectively overcomes the high costs of pure road haulage and the last-mile limitations of rail-only shipping, significantly cutting transit times and reducing transshipment losses.

Guo Chunning, general manager of Tianjin International Land Port, said the company plans to increase the frequency of Central Asia services, expand its network of destination cities, and build a regional cross-border integrated logistics hub to further support the Belt and Road Initiative.

(By Zhang Dongfang)