On September 9, the first train departed from Yiwu to Prague. cargo-partner’s Managing Director in Central China, Mr. Gill Wu, attended the inauguration ceremony, and cargo-partner made use of this train for its first shipments on the new route. In total, the train was loaded with 88 containers of cloth, clothing, shoes, hats and Christmas items. Yiwu, located in the province of Zhejiang in East China, is home to the world’s largest wholesale market for small merchandise items. The new connection is operated by YXE International Container Train, who offers regular weekly service.
At the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Gill Wu stated: “We are delighted to expand our services with this route. The new direct rail connection between Yiwu and Prague allows us to offer our clients in China and Central Europe a safe and fast transport method from this important trade hub.”
The containers are consolidated in Shanghai and shipped by rail from Yiwu directly to Prague, eliminating the risks of transshipment. The train passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland and travels for approximately 16 days before arriving in Prague. This is approximately half of the time it takes to ship goods from China to the Czech Republic by sea freight. cargo-partner also handles pick-up from China as well as further distribution in the Czech Republic and several other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. A new connection from Prague to Yiwu has also been introduced. The first train from Prague arrived in Yiwu on August 4.
In 2017, cargo-partner has registered an increase of 100% in LCL cargo volumes as well as 50% in FCL volumes on rail transport from Asia to Europe. By the end of the year, cargo-partner expects cargo volumes to reach a total of 12,000 m³ in LCL container transports from Asia to Europe.
Vienna, October 6, 2017