The recent departure of a loaded freight train from Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT) destined for Kunming in Yunnan provinces has signalled the launch of a new intermodal railway service to connect Asean countries with China's resource-rich Yunnan via the Hutchison terminal.
Located in southwest China, Yunnan is regarded as China's gateway to Asean as it borders Vietnam, Laos and Burma as well as Guizhou province and the Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region, Chongqing and Sichuan to the north and Tibet to the northwest.
Thus, Yunnan lies on the front lines of the China-Asean Free Trade Zone. The intermodal rail link between the Yantian container terminal, which is operated as a part of Hong Kong's Hutchison Port Holdings Group and Kunming is intended to facilitate the movement of cargo between the inland province of Yunnan and the coast, thereby YICT provides Yunnan with a sea connection to Asean countries. Yunnan is rich in natural resources such as minerals and tobacco.
The intermodal seaport-railway service from YICT in Shenzhen has a maximum carrying capacity of fifty 45-foot containers. Trains depart from Yantian every Wednesday and arrive in Kunming 50 hours later after covering almost 1,800 kilometres, a statement from YICT port officials said.
Before the launch of the Yantian-Kunming intermodal service, YICT already provides other rail services in collaboration with China Railway Container Transport. These services use the Pingyan Railway, a dedicated link that connects YICT to the Beijing-Kowloon line and the Beijing-Guangzhou line, enabling YICT to extend its logistics services to China's vast hinterland.
The Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT) is a natural deepwater port that is equipped with 17 container berths and covers 362 hectares. Upon completion of the Yantian Port Expansion Project in 2010, the terminal will boast an additional six deepwater container berths.
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