At noon on October 15, an international freight train loaded with Kazakhstani wheat, barley, and other grain products arrived at the Changsha North Railway Freight Yard. This marks the beginning of regular operations for the "Kazakhstan-Horgos/Alashankou-Changsha" return freight train dedicated to Central Asian grain, which creates a new, efficient, and stable international logistics channel for grain supply in central China.

Since the beginning of 2024, Hunan's total grain imports have continued to grow. To address issues such as complicated import procedures, long transport time, and high costs, railway authorities have collaborated with multiple parties to promote the launch and regular operation of return freight trains dedicated to Central Asian grain. Starting from the second half of this year, the frequency of these trains has steadily increased, now with one train trip per week. With the continuous growth in market demand, the frequency of these trains is expected to increase to three to five trips per week in the near future.

"The freight trains directly transport high-quality raw grains and processed products from Kazakhstan's northern agricultural regions to Hunan, effectively meeting the needs of local enterprises and providing stable raw material supplies for companies," said Xu Wenbin, container operation manager at the Changsha North Business Department of the Changsha Railway Logistics Center under the China Railway Guangzhou Group.

In terms of transportation time efficiency, the freight trains depart from factories in Kazakhstan, enter China via the Horgos or Alashankou ports, and maintain a stable travel time of approximately 15 days. This represents a significant improvement over traditional models, effectively reducing enterprises' overall logistics costs and inventory pressure. Upon the train's arrival, railway authorities implement an efficient loading and unloading plan. Workers and machinery are in place 30 minutes in advance, with double girder gantry cranes operating simultaneously to achieve "unloading upon arrival." After that, the goods are swiftly transported to a warehouse of the Central South China International Land Port Consolidation Center for distribution, enabling seamless connectivity with Hunan's manufacturers. This achieves a fully integrated supply chain from "Central Asia's grain granary" to "Hunan's workshops."

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn