Chengdu-Netherlands rail service launched

26 October 2016

The demands on rail traffic are increasing. China has anticipated this well by making it possible, from this month, to import goods directly into the Netherlands by rail. The new rail service covers the journey from Chengdu to Tilburg in under 15 days.

Faster lead time, less cost

China is one of the largest exporting companies in the world. Many goods are also sent to the Netherlands on a daily basis, by sea as well as by air. In situations where goods are needed relatively quickly and air freight has proven too expensive, sea-air freight was often the best alternative. The option of fast rail transport, as it develops, is a very interesting one, proof of which is seen in the direct connection to Tilburg.

Until recently, the nearest rail links to the Netherlands were via stations in Duisburg and Hamburg. For a large part of the Netherlands, time and cost savings achievable by rail were minimal, making this a less interesting option. With Tilburg as an additional end terminal however, rail transport from China now becomes an attractive alternative.

Currently the train leaves from Chengdu once a week. The Chinese rail operator and RailPortbrabant aim to increase this to five times per week by the end of next year.

Rail freight is the best option for fast FCL shipments

In order to outline the differences in processing time and cost, we take the frequently used Shanghai – Rotterdam route as an example. Various modes of transport can be chosen, whereby sea freight is the cheapest option. A container ship takes around 28 days to sail from Shanghai to Rotterdam. Including transport from harbor to harbor, a shipment will travel for on average 35 days. Air freight, taking on average 3 days is a bit faster, but the costs are considerably higher.

Rail freight and sea-air transport sit somewhere between sea freight and air freight in terms of rates and transport time. From door to door, a shipment will take around 21 days from Shanghai to Rotterdam. The most favorable option for your cargo depends on the quantity of goods you would like to send. By rail you can currently only book FCL. Therefore, this is more interesting for full containers. The new rail alternative is a good addition, especially for this type of job. For smaller shipments sea-air probably remains the most favorable.

Experienced rail freight partner

Would you like to make use of rail transport for your FCL shipment from China? Our local agent already has a lot of experience. Please feel free to contact us for more information.