UPS adds six stations to China-Europe rail service

Shipping by rail between Europe and Asia just got a little more flexible as UPS added six new stations to its continent-spanning rail service – four in China and two in Europe – making the rail mode an even more attractive option for forwarders, and a potential threat to air cargo traffic.

The rail line, running from Germany and Poland through Russia and the former Soviet republics to China, will now offer UPS Preferred full container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) multimodal rail service to Changsha, Chongqing, Suzhou and Wuhan stations in China, in addition to the already existing Zhengzhou and Chengdu stops. The four stations were chosen for their proximity to provincial industrial manufacturing, commercial and cultural centers in interior China, UPS said.

In Europe, UPS now also stops in Duisburg, Germany, and Warsaw, Poland, were added to the line serving the existing terminuses at Hamburg and Lodz. Located in the industrial Ruhr area of Germany, Duisburg also provides access to river, road and air transport. The added Warsaw stop also serves a growing market for e-commerce fulfillment, as well as nearby research-and-development and manufacturing businesses.

UPS said the added stations will give customers “more options to reduce supply chain costs” and provide them with a better balance between the cost of transportation and time in transit. “Our China-Europe rail services can save customers up to 65 percent versus airfreight, and improve time-in-transit by 40 percent versus traditional ocean freight service,” said Cindy Miller, president of UPS Global Freight Forwarding.

The UPS China-Europe rail service also offers closed-circuit TV and GPS monitoring for added security, temperature-controlled containers, simplified import/export customs clearance processes and track-and-trace capabilities. Rail service, UPS added, also emits 25 times less CO₂ than aircraft over the same distance, and also less nitrogen oxide, non-methane hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide compared to seafreight.

Those interested in learning more about China rail and air freight, especially as it relates to the One Belt-One Road policy, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com