First cold-chain express train carrying southern Xinjiang fruits begins service

(ECNS) -- A freight train carrying over 200 metric tons of fresh plums departed from Aksu, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, for Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, on Monday, marking the launch of the region’s first cold-chain express train service for local fresh fruits.

To facilitate the nationwide distribution of regional specialties like apples in Aksu and plums in Jiashi county, Xinjiang railway authorities partnered with China Railway Special Cargo Logistics Co., Ltd., utilizing refrigerated containers to build a direct cold-chain transport corridor for fruits from southern Xinjiang to the market of the Yangtze River Delta.

The advanced refrigerated containers used for this transport allow 24-hour real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and location, which customers can track via a mobile mini-program. To protect the fruits, operators optimized the loading process to under four hours, improving efficiency by over 20% and ensuring same-day dispatch.

This new service highlights the growing capacity of Xinjiang’s logistics sector, with the region’s railway freight volume reaching 145 million metric tons in the first seven months of this year, representing a 3.9% year-on-year increase.

(By Intern Lin Qiaochu, Zhang Dongfang)