On the occasion of his visit to the Port of Duisburg at the end of March, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed the hope that exports to China over land might receive a timely boost. Ever since his visit interest in rail connections linking the Port of Duisburg and China has grown appreciably. In the near future, the German car industry in particular will be taking increasing advantage of the possibilities offered by rail links from Duisburg to China. Today for the first time cars produced by the top German manufacturers will begin loading. At Duisburg Intermodal Terminal (DIT) these vehicles, securely stowed in containers, are being loaded onto a train that will, starting this week, be making regular trips to Chongqing in China. The Port of Duisburg is the starting and finishing point for several trans-continental rail links to China. Previously the capacity utilization of trains from China to Duisburg has been higher than in the opposite direction. However, today's first ever consignment of finished products from top German manufacturers at the DIT has made a significant contribution to expanding this rail link. There will thus now be no fewer than four trains leaving Duisburg for China every week. Transport over land by rail is more than twice as fast as by sea and thus offers a significant competitive advantage for the sectors of industry involved. On the occasion of the Chinese President's visit at the end of March, the Chinese Minister of Trade, Gao Hucheng, and the Chairman of Duisburger Hafen AG, Erich Staake, both made their support for the expansion of the rail system abundantly clear.
Loading at Duisburg Intermodal Terminal
Loading at Duisburg Intermodal Terminal
The trans-continental train connections were developed by Trans Eurasia Logistics (TEL), a Joint Venture founded in 2008 by the German DB AG and the Russian railways authority, RZD. The successful marketing and improved capacity utilization of trains on the outward journey to China are the result of close cooperation between TEL, DIT, and duisport agency, a subsidiary of Duisburger Hafen AG