Sichuan province in Southwest China is facilitating cooperation and exchanges with more countries and regions along the Belt and Road, with an intercontinental railway network connecting it to Europe and other parts of Asia.

At the 16th Western China International Fair held in Sichuan earlier this month, the province announced that it has expanded the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

As of Nov 2, a freight train now travels from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, to Rotterdam on a weekly basis. Its cargo mainly includes machinery and electronics made in Sichuan.

The return train carries products including electronic components, infant milk powder, wine and beer, according to Chen Jie, deputy general manager of Chengdu International Railway Service Co Ltd, which manages the operation of the express rail.

He said cargo made in Sichuan can be transported through the express rail to Rotterdam within 13 days, and then easily distributed to western and northern Europe, and even North America via Rotterdam's port, the largest in Europe.

"The Chengdu-Rotterdam Express Rail will create larger development space for trade and economic cooperation between Europe and China," Chen said.

The express rail began operation in April 2013, in line with the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping.

The route stretches 9,826 kilometers, almost along the ancient Silk Road, linking Chengdu with Lodz, an emerging European logistics hub in Poland.

The Chengdu-Lodz route is the fastest and most frequently used direct freight service from China to Europe. A one-way trip takes 10 days, according to Chen Zhongwei, director of Chengdu Port and Logistics Office.

The express rail gives Sichuan province an advantage over the eastern coastal provinces when it comes to trading with Europe, because the rail route is much faster than sea transportation. Transportation by rail takes one-third of the time taken by sea routes, and costs one-sixth to one-eighth of air transportation, Chen said.

To take full advantage of this rail route, the province has implemented a strategy called Chengdu-Europe Plus. This refers to increased rail connections with both domestic and European cities, making Chengdu a logistics hub for Europe and pan-Asia.

Apart from Rotterdam, the Chengdu-Lodz route has expanded to European cities including Kutno in Poland, Nuremberg in Germany and Tilburg in the Netherlands. Offices and distribution centers have also been set up in major European cities along the route to further explore the European market.

According to the latest Chengdu-Europe Plus strategy, the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail will include three major routes: one to Lodz, another to Istanbul in Turkey and the third to Russia.

Chen said three test trains have run through the Chengdu-Istanbul route since Sept 6. The route is expected to begin official operation by the end of this year.

He said the third link, the Chengdu-Russia route, is scheduled to open in November.

The Chengdu-Europe Express Rail has also expanded to domestic cities, including Xiamen in Fujian province, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Kunming in Yunnan province and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. This enables Sichuan to have deeper connections with other provinces, Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.

Business through the express rail is surging thanks to the implementation of the Chengdu-Europe Plus strategy. An increasing number of companies around the country are making use of the express rail, including DHL Express, Lenovo Group Ltd, TCL Corp, Koninklijke Philips NV, Dell Inc and The Volvo Group.

Chen expects the express rail to run 400 journeys this year and 1,000 journeys next year.

During the 16th Western China International Fair, four investment projects worth 2.1 billion yuan ($306.9 million) were signed to locate companies in the Chengdu International Railway Port, the departure station of the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail.

Along with the expansion of its international railway network, Sichuan is also more closely tied to the world through the construction of the "air Silk Road".

The Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the largest aviation hub in western China, has opened nearly 100 international routes, connecting Sichuan to more than 70 international cities including San Francisco, Frankfurt, Paris and Melbourne.

The province also began construction of a new airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, in May. The new airport will be put into operation in 2020.

(China Daily 11/17/2016 page6)