FPS Dalian – a member of the FPS Group of forwarders and consolidators – is handling the latest in a long series of major rail projects. The current programme has already seen eight shipments of brand new electric passenger train multiple units in 2014, and a ninth shipment will take place before the year end. A total of 32 multiple units will have been shipped by the end of 2014, and a further 38 will follow throughout 2015 to complete the order. Each shipment comprises four electric multiple units, each of four cars; individual carriages measure 24m in length, and weigh up to 50 tons. Every shipment totals around 14,000 cbm and weighs up to 800 tonnes. The passenger train carriages are part of an ongoing update and expansion programme for the Brasilian rail network, ahead of the 2016 Olympics. FPS has been shipping railway carriages to Brasil since 2011, many of which were brought into service for the 2014 World Cup.  FPS manages road transportation of all units on their 800 km, 2-day overland journey to port, where assembling each load takes 2-3 days. All shipments then route Bayuquan to Rio de Janeiro, using chartered conventional vessels. Previous major rail car shipments handled by FPS Dalian have included 280 new multiple units for Brasil, and 240 used multiple units - formerly rolling stock from the Chinese railway system - for Pakistan. In many instances, FPS has had to remove aircon units from carriage roofs before loading, due to height restrictions. FPS Dalian’s involvement in shipping railway rolling stock is not restricted to passenger carriages: it also handles regular shipments of ore wagons; to date, it has shipped some 2000 to Australia, and over 150 to Mozambique. Says Steven Li Yongchao, FPS Dalian Sales Manager: “Every year, we handle many similar projects, with an annual total of over 3000 carriages. This has created a close working relationship between the customer and ourselves, and has allowed us to accumulate a great deal of experience, so that everything runs smoothly.”