Cargo handling procedure improvement, logistic information sharing boost cross-border freight train service

Improvement of the cargo handling procedure and enhancement of logistics information sharing have led to significant reduction of logistics cost and higher efficiency in the operation of cross-border China-Europe Freight Train transport service that starts from the Xi'an International Port in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

At the port's container yard, weighing and unloading containers have been combined into one single process, thanks to the installation of precise weighing devices on reach stackers. Such a workflow integration has relieved the gantry cranes of the separate weighing process, allowing the port to focus solely on lifting containers, thus, reducing the time spent in the process from 160 minutes to mere five minutes.

"The cost reduction is obvious. For instance, truck drivers used to charge 200 yuan (28 U.S. dollars) for one round-trip. Now they can make two round-trips a day, earning 400 yuan. If they can make five round-trips a day, they can earn 1,000 yuan. In this case, they are willing to lower the cost for each trip. Based on our preliminary calculation, the cost of freight for each container can be cut by 70 yuan after we optimize the cargo handling procedure," said Qi Chao, deputy director of the multimodal transport department of the freight department of the China Railway Xi'an Bureau.

The operational enhancements span the entire spectrum of handling processes, from the arrival of contain trucks at the port, to the container unloading, the dispatch of flat-bed trailers, and the cargo handling and inspection processes on freight trains.

"The time for cargo assembly has been cut from seven days to about three day, and the time for cargo handling at the station has been slashed from nearly 900 minutes to about 300 minutes," Qi said.

Apart from the improvement in the cargo assembly and handling processes, the better logistics information sharing also improves the efficiency of the cross-border freight train services.

Previously, customs-related papers must be submitted seven times before cargo are loaded onto the trains, resulting in redundancy in customs procedures.

To streamline this process, the Xi'an Cargo Assembly Center for China-Europe Freight Train Service has introduced a system that allows one single documentation to be submitted for multiple declarations, which has significantly curtailed the time spent on customs procedures.

To foster more effective collaboration, the the Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. and the Chinese branch of KTZ Express have established operational offices on the same floor. This proximity has facilitated communication between employees of both sides and accelerated the integration of information systems for China-Europe Freight Train service.

"The moment that the freight train sets out from China, Kazakhstan gets cargo information, so that we can prepare the customs declaration in advance. We can work together and find a solution for possible problems arising from transportation. The information sharing system is a vital solution," said Olzhas Aleibekov, deputy general manager of the Chinese branch of KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ).

The consistent transport schedules, increasingly streamlined customs procedures, and continual reduction in overall costs have underscored the benefits of cargo assembly for China-Europe Freight Train service, encouraging a growing number of countries on the route to actively engage in this collaboration.

An Azerbaijan's logistics and freight company known as 166 LOGiSTiKA has witnessed a rapid business development.

"We started from [sending] 10 containers, and now every month we send like 100 containers, and in November we have the plan to send 200 containers. I think for [such a] short time, it is a very good result," said Sarkhan Kubanli, head of the Chinese branch of 166 LOGiSTiKA.

Notably, as part of the China-Europe Freight Train service, the trans-Caspian train service has seen a 24-fold increase so far this year compared to the same period of last year, becoming a new growth prospect for the China-Europe Freight Train service.

The cross-border China-Europe Freight Train service connecting China and the European countries, officially known as "CHINA RAILWAY Express", has bridged Chinese cities with 222 European cities in 25 countries.

Initiated in 2011, the China-Europe rail service is considered a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative to boost trade between China and countries along the routes.

Cargo handling procedure improvement, logistic information sharing boost cross-border freight train service

International guests who have dedicated their lives to historical truth joined China's 12th national memorial event honoring the hundreds of thousands of victims killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.

The memorial was held on Saturday at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in the presence the crowd that included survivors of the massacre, local students, and international guests.

In one of the most barbaric episodes during WWII, the Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.

Joining the crowd was Christoph Reinhardt, the great-grandson of John Rabe (1882-1950) who was then a representative of German conglomerate Siemens in the war-ravaged Nanjing. During the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up an international safety zone with other foreigners, and they together saved the lives of around 250,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938 from the Japanese invaders.

Throughout the massacre, Rabe continued to keep a diary. To this day, all his pages remain one of the most comprehensive historical records of the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors.

Sayoko Yamauchi, who was also in the crowd of mourners, arrived in Nanjing on Friday from Japan's Osaka to attend Saturday's ceremony, just as she has done almost every year since China designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 2014.

Yamauchi's grandfather was one of the Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanjing in January 1938. However, since first setting foot in Nanjing in 1987, she has dedicated herself to uncovering and spreading the truth about Japan's history of aggression and enlightening the Japanese public about their country's wartime atrocities.

In 2014, ahead of China's first National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Yamauchi, along with 10 other individuals, received an award for her special contribution to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

By attending the grand memorial event, Reinhardt and Yamauchi both said they hope to convey a message of remembering history and cherishing peace.

"This is my fifth visit to China, and Nanjing, and the third times I visited the ceremony. I have a wish that these survivors survive again and again and again. But my other wish is that the families of the survivors, that they transport the information, the right intention like their ancestors, because anyone must hold a hand (during) this remembering," Reinhardt told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview before the event began on Saturday.

"Our delegation is on its 20th visit to China, coming to Nanjing to express our heartfelt condolences to those who perished 88 years ago, to remember this history, and to reflect on what we can do for a new future. That's why we are here," Yamauchi told CCTV on board the bus that took her to a local hotel in Nanjing on Friday evening.

Int'l guests call for remembering history at China's national event honoring Nanjing Massacre victims