China's Chengdu sees booming freight train charter service for auto trade

CHENGDU, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Friday saw the departure of this year's 151st chartered China-Europe Railway Express freight train for complete vehicle exports from the Chengdu International Railway Port.

According to data from Chengdu Customs, the rail port handled complete-vehicle imports and exports totaling 30,000 units in the first half year, an increase of 66.5 percent year on year. A total of 3,059 complete vehicles were imported, and 27,000 were exported.

Li Qingwen, a manager at the Chengdu Pan Asia International Transportation Agent Co., Ltd., said that the company's vehicle export volume increased by about 20 percent year on year in the first six months, benefiting from the railway export channel.

"Compared to sea shipping, vehicle trade using the China-Europe Railway Express saves time and reduces costs for car exporters," Li said.

The port was approved to handle the trade of complete vehicles in February 2015. In 2023, it registered a throughput of nearly 39,000 vehicles.

Huang Ruoyu, general manager of the Sichuan Himore Automobile Exports Trading Co., Ltd., said the railway channel has boosted the company's international trade of used cars. In May, Himore landed in the Kyrgyzstani market, which has great potential for businesses in the auto sector.

From January to June, Himore exported more than 1,000 used cars, with a total sales volume of over 120 million yuan (16.8 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of about 25 percent.