The sea‑rail intermodal freight train service between Shouyangshan (Luoyang) and Qingdao Port in Shandong was officially launched recently. The maiden train carried 86 standard containers loaded with office furniture. This marks the 110th sea‑rail intermodal route opened by Shandong Port Group, diversifying outbound logistics options for foreign trade across the Yellow River Basin.
Dai Xuechao, Assistant Manager of the Sea-Rail Intermodal Center at Qingdao Port, explained that via this land-sea corridor, export goods from Luoyang can be assembled and marshalled at Shouyangshan Station for direct delivery to Qingdao Port. Multiple transshipment and reloading steps are removed, substantially shortening total transit time. Foreign trade enterprises located in inland areas are able to obtain a full range of export services from Qingdao Port without travelling to the seaport, which effectively moves the “seaport gateway” to their premises.
Supported by an extensive network of sea‑rail routes and inland port nodes, Qingdao Port serves as a key outbound hub for foreign trade companies in the Yellow River Basin. To ensure stable operation of the new train service, Huangdao Customs under Qingdao Customs proactively communicated with port operators and logistics service providers to clarify train schedules and cargo flow. It conducted advance outreach on export regulatory policies and guided enterprises to submit declarations in compliance with regulations. Meanwhile, Huangdao Customs established efficient port information channels to share logistics and customs data, shortening container dwelling time and enabling rapid customs procedures and vessel loading for arriving cargo.
Zhang Zhisen, Deputy Director of the Port Supervision Division of Huangdao Customs, stated that the customs authority addresses clearance bottlenecks for inbound sea‑rail cargo and delivers reliable port-side customs support. In order to lower cross-border logistics costs for inland exporters and improve the resilience of industrial and supply chains, Huangdao Customs collaborates with Shandong Port Group to further develop inland markets in the Yellow River Basin, optimize inland port layout and launch more sea‑rail intermodal services.
At present, Shandong Port Group has constructed 10 inland ports and opened 19 sea‑rail intermodal routes in Henan Province. Routes such as Zhengzhou Putian Station–Qingdao Port and Jiaozuo–Qingdao Port operate on a regular basis. Between January and September this year, Shandong Port Group handled 3.686 million TEUs of sea‑rail intermodal cargo, representing an 8.5% year‑on‑year increase.