A SINO-EUROPE freight train loaded with 430 tons of products sourced from the Greater Bay Area recently left Pinghu, Shenzhen, and started its 16-day trip to Budapest, Europe.

The products, which were sourced from Shekou-Qianhai free trade area, Dongguan, Zhuhai and Zhongshan, included electronic products, spare parts of household electric appliances, furniture, and arts and crafts. This is the Greater Bay Area’s first train dedicated to cross-border e-commerce goods.

“The train will arrive at the destination in 16 days. It is twice as fast as the sea service. The cost is only one fifth the price compared with air service. The rail service gained attention from enterprises and cargo owners for its safety, convenience, low cost and limited constraints from the natural environment in the backdrop that the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected world trade and the shipment of goods from the enterprises in the Greater Bay Area,” said Song Haowen, vice general manager of Sinotrans Shenzhen International Logistics Co. Ltd.

Shenzhen Customs, in cooperation with Urumqi Customs, jointly adopted multi-modal transshipment and customs clearance for exported products at Qianhai Bonded Area and enabled e-commerce products to use Sino-Europe train service.

Since the launch of the Sino-Europe train to Duisburg, Germany, from Pinghu South National Logistics Hub in August, the operator is now operating two routes, one is between Shenzhen and Duisburg and the other is between Shenzhen and Budapest, Hungary. So far, a total of 9,168 tons of products have been sent to Europe through train service.

Customs has adopted online reservations, onsite supervision and automatic acceptance for the inspection mechanism that enables enterprises to forward their cargoes 24 hours a day to Pinghu.  (Han Ximin)