A lot has happened in transport from the Far East in recent years. The continuous competition of shipowners led to the bankruptcy of Hanjin – one of the largest maritime container operators. It also showed that by constantly reducing freight prices, not only Hanjin, but also other shipowners have major financial problems. The consequence of this was the analysis of the profitability of container freight and the resulting increase in prices. China’s maritime transport is slowly ceasing to be as competitive as it has been until recently. Does this mean the era of rail transport?
Sea transport from China is increasingly being replaced by rail transport.
Category: Railway transport
Railway Transport
Among all methods of transportation, railway transport is one of the oldest. Transit is held using rails with passenger trains or freight trains. This solution allows companies to transit cargo on short, medium and long distances, but meets certain limitations. In railway transport carried load can’t be neither wider nor taller than the train car. There is an exclusion from this role in the United States, where some lines allow their users to double-deck containers. The cargo also can’t be heavier than maximum load of railway on given section of the way.
New Silk Road
It’s an investition of Chinese government which aims to complete One Belt, One Road – a Chinese-lead international economic initiative. New Silk Road is a direct railway connection between China and Europe, in which Poland plays a vital role of gateway to Europe. BBA Transport System was one the first Polish companies to see its tremendous potential as a method of transportation from China do Poland. A train completes its criuse in from 10 up to 17 days, carrying up to 50 40′ HC containers. Thanks to trade deals between the governments of transit countries, all formalities, customs clearances and additional fees were simplified and minimised.
Types of railway transport
In railway transport there are two main sectors: passenger transport and freight transport. Freight forwarding companies and importers are focused on cargo sector. Trains can run on different sets of tracks, differentiating with track gauge. New Silk Road uses two types of track gauge: standard (Poland and China) and Russian.
- Russian gauge
- Its gauge is 1520 mm. With its wide gauge, it dominates railway systems of ex-USSR countries. This means that the train has to run most of its way on wide railway. In Poland there is the farthest to the west Russian gauge railway.
- Standard gauge
- Standard railway gauge is 1435 mm and dominates in Europe, China, Africa, North America and Australia. In Poland it’s the main railway gauge, which means that Poland acts as a buffer in railway transportation system of New Silk Road.
Groupage rail service, rail transport from China to Poland
The BBA Transport System in parallel with the maritime service offers regular LCL groupage and FCL container transport from China to Poland and EU countries. The loads reach customers spread all over Europe, also to countries outside the European Union, e.g. to Serbia and Albania. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the possibilities of rail transport in our implementation!
PACKAGE FROM CHINA – that is, the choice of transport mode and optimization of shipment costs below 1 cbm / 100 kg
In the work of the forwarder I often come across a very cursory customer inquiry, e.g. how much does your package from China have? Without specifying the size and weight of such a shipment, as well as customer needs in the case of speed of delivery, we will not be able to answer this query optimally.
We accept a package below 1 m3 / 1 cbm and below 100 kg. In many cases, customers are looking for the cheapest solution. However, they do not necessarily receive such. Transportation Parcels from China under 50 kg are worth checking out the air solution. Air freight is often at a similar price level as rail transport – and is much faster.
Transport of goods from China by rail
Goods can be transported from China in three ways: by sea, by rail and by air. Each of these methods is best suited for something different, has different characteristics and costs. The transport of goods from China is dominated by mass sea transport, but nowadays rail transport is creating more and more serious competition on the market.
Import from China. How to do it best? China Train Transport
Over several decades, the Middle Kingdom has transformed from a poor colossus into a giant dictating economic conditions for the whole world. At present, the Chinese economy is nothing like the one we know from the 80’s and 90’s. Chinese enterprises take over companies all over the world: diamond mines in Africa, robotics factories in Germany, and Dream Factory in the USA. However, the domestic market is still focused primarily on production – this is even shown by the figures in trade relations with Poland. According to official data of the Central Customs Office of the PRC, Polish imports from China are almost twelve times larger than exports!
Rail transport from China – price and characteristics
In traditional reasoning, transport methods in relations with China can be divided into three parts: air, sea and rail. Among the characteristic features of all these measures, transport speed and cost come to the fore. It is known that the plane is the fastest and most expensive, and the ship is the slowest, but the cheapest. In comparison with other methods, rail transport from China is surprising – the price of this mode of transport does not make you dizzy!
Container transport from China. What exactly is a container?
There are many ways to transport goods, but container will always be the basic method of transporting general cargo. Not only general cargo – it’s a great transport method for transporting larger loads. The container is ideal for transporting loads over long distances, as it provides protection against weather conditions. An additional advantage is the improvement of transport from point A to point B. How to transport containers from China so that everything goes our way?
Transport from China to the EU: Małaszewicze as a gateway to Europe
Rail transport from China is becoming an increasingly popular form of transport from China to the EU. The main terminals in Chengdu and Zhongshan are sending more and more trains, and goods exchange with China is increasing. The advantage that customers of goods transport by train appreciate is safety, speed and timeliness of deliveries. The train is able to travel from China to Poland with two stops within two weeks.