Direct rail link to Europe promises increased growth

These giant 40 foot containers in Chengdu are bound for Europe. They will get there not by sea but by rail.

A 9,800 kilometers rail link between Poland and China will get these containers to Lodz in Poland in 14 days. One-third of the time it would take by the sea route. The rail link is the first direct link between the two cities and has been appropriately dubbed the "Iron Silk Road".

Zhou Min, Deputy Director of Chengdu Customs District, said, "We have streamlined the process of clearing the customs, and used EPS and EDI instead of manual work to monitor the whole trip, which makes the route to be the fastest cargo train service."

The new rail route is part of the effort of Chengdu to improve its infrastructure and establish itself as a major logistics hub in China.

The idea is that Chinese imports coming in from Europe can be distributed to the rest of the country from Chengdu.

The reverse is also true. Lodz in Poland hopes to be the distribution point in Europe for Chinese imports into the continent.

This direct transit between the two countries avoiding the traditional sea route is a huge cost and time saver as well. Some estimates put the savings at 75 per cent of the original costs.

The rapid growth in infrastructre and logistics has brought many opportunties to Chengdu in the recent past. And the current rail link demonstrates that.

The first direct train is leaving Chengdu to Poland soon. With more international rail routes opening up, many believe that Chengdu will soon become a logistic hub in western China, atracting more industry to come.