With the establishment of the Harbin Railway Logistics Center on Monday, 39 railway logistics centers across China have been launched, marking a milestone in the development of the railway logistics system and bolstering high-quality social and economic development, according to China State Railway Group, the national railway operator.

Leveraging the advantages of railway transport in terms of large capacity, all-weather service and environmental friendliness, the centers will strengthen strategic cooperation with key enterprises and develop comprehensive logistics solutions tailored to businesses with specific needs, according to the group.

Efforts to enhance the integration and development of other transportation modes, such as road and water transport, are underway to streamline operations, improve transport efficiency, reduce logistics costs for enterprises, and integrate railway logistics into corporate industrial supply chains.

In addition, a variety of railway logistics services will be offered in accordance with the market trend and customer needs, including building a fast and reliable railway express logistics network.

China has 340 railway express logistics service routes. Railway-road express logistics services have reached all provincial capitals and railway-sea express transport routes have extended to major ports across the country.

One of the express logistics services is the China-Europe freight service, which has 87 routes linking 108 Chinese cities with 217 cities in 25 European countries. The network covers most of Asia and Europe.

There are 15 new types of freight containers tailored to transport lightweight bulk cargo, steel coils and grain, with nine already in operation and receiving positive feedback from the market.

Ongoing efforts are directed toward the development and trial operation of new equipment, including those designed for transporting automobiles, ventilated containers for transporting soybean meal, and liquid tank containers for carrying hazardous goods.

Railway logistics stations have also been upgraded. A total of 165 railway logistics bases across the country have been established, which are effectively integrated into logistics parks, industrial parks, ports and border ports. The bases, along with comprehensive services such as multimodal transport and warehouse distribution centers, have significantly promoted the transformation and upgrade of freight stations.

It has also focused on enhancing service quality of railway logistics service, such as building the 95306 freight service platform. It aims to create a convenient and efficient smart service platform, enabling online processing of freight and providing 24-hour services seven days a week. To improve the customer experience, new functions have been introduced to the platform such as real-time cargo tracking and sending notices to clients upon the arrival of goods.

On Wednesday, a fully loaded express freight train carrying household appliances, food and beverages, daily necessities, grains and other goods arrived at a freight yard in Beijing.

The train, which departed from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, takes 24 hours to arrive in the capital. The train is operated with a designed speed of 160 kilometers per hour, making it one of the fastest freight trains in the country.

As Spring Festival approaches, there is a strong demand for holiday shopping. The freight train is tailored to transport more goods to meet the needs of the market, said Jia Tengfei, from China Railway Express' Beijing office.