China, Germany can cooperate in rail transport under BRI: official

The head of a German business association says his country and China have room to expand their respective rail transportation sectors through the Belt and Road framework.

Olaf Kruger, the chair of Germany’s International Rail Freight Business Association, says the Belt and Road is good for improving transportation infrastructure and boosting inter-connectivity among Belt and Road countries.

“The Belt and Road initiative enhances the inter-connectivity and expansion of many overland transportation routes between Europe and China. This guarantees a stable, constant operation of rail transportation between the two sides, and trains traveling from China to Europe will not need to change routes as before,” says Kruger.

Kruger notes rail routes linking Europe and China also boost trade and economic ties between the two sides.

He says countries and regions along the rail lines should also be able to reap the fruits of global economic development by expanding the rail network along the Silk Road Economic Belt.

“People from Belt and Road countries should be able to get access to more specific projects so that new impetus can be injected into the Silk Road to make it more vibrant. The Belt and Road Initiative should be a common goal among people not only from China, but also other parts of the world,” says Kruger.

The ever-expanding China-Europe freight train services are breathing new life into the ancient Silk Road.

One of the first lines was the YuXinOu, or Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway, launched in 2011, linking Chongqing and Duisburg.

The route takes only a dozen of days to reach the German city from Chongqing, compared to ship transportation, which takes 36 days.

The transportation costs for services on the rail line are only 20 percent of the money spent transporting goods by air.

Gan Yuchen with the YUXINOU Logistics’ branch in Germany says rail transportation is becoming more and more acceptable among German customers.

“At first, our German customers were not accustomed to such a new transportation method, since they are not familiar with its efficiency, costs and stability. But after operation for a few years, more and more customers are willing to accept rail transportation, since it costs less money than planes and takes less time than ships,” says Gan.

The customers using the rail route to transport goods include not only large, but also small and medium sized companies.

Trains traveling on this line have also been helping German logistics firm Deutsche Post deliver mail and parcels to China since October.

The China-Europe freight rail services have made around 14,000 trips since 2011.

6300 trains made the journey along the routes last year, 72 percent growth compared to the previous year.