(ECNS) -- A fleet of Shensuika-Cenral/South Asia Intermodel cargo trucks carrying 20 containers dispatched from Kashi Free Trade Zone in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Sunday.
The first batch of goods, including 220 tons of medical supplies and daily necessities, will leave China from Turgat Port to Kyrgyzstan. The value of the goods is about 12 million yuan ($1.88 million). Shensuika is short for three cities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Kashi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Compared with sea freight, the road-railway intermodal shortens transport time by about a week and reduces logistics costs by about 5,000 yuan per 40-foot container.
The intermodal is expected to deliver more than 20,000 tons of goods to destinations throughout the year, bringing about 800 million yuan in trade volume to Kashi Free Trade Zone. The trains will effectively drive the development of local business and logistics industry.