A train runs on the railway that constitutes part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor on Aug. 2, 2024. As of Aug. 2 this year, more than 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers for rail-sea intermodal transportation have been delivered via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the highest level for the same period in all years. The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members, expanded its reach to 490 ports across 120 countries and regions, according to data released in January by southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the corridor's operational hub. Photo: Xinhua

An intermodal transport center of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor officially commenced construction on Wednesday in Fangchenggang, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which will further improve the capability of the international logistic artery as well as regional connectivity, China Media Group reported. 

The intermodal center is backed with 430 million yuan, covers an area of 12.8 hectares, and its total track laying length reaches 2.3 kilometers. The first phase of the project is estimated to be delivered and operational by 2026, becoming an international logistic park facing the ASEAN countries. 

Formed with dedicated railways, container yards, warehouses and other supporting facilities and equipment, the center will be capable of freight train services, bulk cargo storage and handling, and containers packing and unpacking. 

Various types of cargo will be facilitated by the center, including grains, non-ferrous metal ores, fertilizers, among others. It is expected that the annual transshipment service capacity of the center will reach 7.5 million tons, with a daily cargo distribution capacity of 20,000 tons, according to the report. 

In September 2017, the "southward corridor" from Chongqing Municipality through Guizhou and Guangxi to Singapore, the precursor to the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, made its debut. By August 2019, a plan from the National Development and Reform Commission elevated it from a local initiative to a national strategic project. 

After over five years of construction, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor now connects to 548 ports across 126 countries and regions, and the range of goods transported has expanded to more than 1,166, according to Guanxi Daily. 

As of 10 am on Sunday, the total cargo transported by the Western Land-Sea New Corridor's rail-sea intermodal trains reached 903,000 standard containers, a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent, setting a new historical record, said the report. 

Global Times