2,704 passenger vehicles shipped by rail-sea freight

By Zhou Chunyi.

A double-deck freight train carrying 290 Yichang-made passenger vehicles recently departed Yichang East Freight Station for Taicang Port in Jiangsu Province, where the vehicles were transferred to a cargo ship bound for the North American market. It was the 61st such train operated this year by the logistics center of China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co., Ltd.'s Yichang branch.
 

As a major automobile manufacturing base, Yichang hosts several major automakers and exports vehicles to Europe, Southeast Asia, and other markets. As overseas orders have grown, the traditional model of short-haul trucking to ports has faced challenges during peak seasons, including limited trucking capacity, a higher risk of vehicle damage, and difficulties coordinating with shipping schedules. These factors have affected delivery efficiency.
 

To address these bottlenecks, the logistics center partnered with China Railway Express's Yichang branch to develop a customized rail-sea logistics solution for GAC Motor's Yichang plant. The plan was quickly adopted, and the two sides signed a volume-based pricing agreement covering peak and off-peak seasons.

To support the service, the railway group set up a dedicated service channel, assigned staff to oversee the entire process from planning to departure, and provided additional yard space for vehicle storage and handling. It also introduced a tracking system, with staff contacting the plant weekly to coordinate production and export schedules with rail capacity.

So far this year, the GAC Motor’s Yichang branch has shipped 2,704 passenger vehicles by rail, up 46.8 percent year on year.

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