The freight train loaded with eight cold chain containers departs from Fangchenggang Station on March 30. [Photo by Li Tianjiao/chinanews.com]

A freight train loaded with eight cold chain containers departed from Fangchenggang Station in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on March 30, and is expected to arrive in Chongqing's Jiangjin in three days.

The departure marked the official beginning of Guangxi's first cold chain charted seafood products train on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in 2021.

Cargo transported on this train included 100 metric tons of local shrimp from the Beibu Gulf, 70 tons of minced fillet, and 30 tons of Russian chicken feet. After arriving in Jiangjin, these products will be distributed by Jiangjin Comprehensive Bonded Zone to markets in areas such as downtown Chongqing and nearby cities in Sichuan province including Guang'an and Chengdu. 

The route, benefiting from sea-rail intermodal transportation and cold chain transportation, has effectively cut down the time required for transportation and clearance, saving 3,000 yuan ($457) per container for the owner of this cargo.

A staff member from the Fangchenggang Station disinfects the containers. [Photo by Li Tianjiao/chinanews.com]

The sea area of Guangxi's Beibu Gulf, with its rich seafood resources, is one of the important fishing grounds in the world.

Guangxi Yanhai Railway has been fully using its local advantages in areas such as ports, policies, resources and logistics to develop cold chain transport systems, establishing China's only sea-land cold chain logistics passage for seafood products linking China and Southeast Asia. 

Fangchenggang has opened eight sea-land-rail cold chain logistics transport routes to domestic destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing since 2016, dispatching 96,000 tons of seafood products in total. 

Guangxi Yanhai Railway will carry out further cooperation with areas such as Chongqing's Rongchang, Sichuan's Guang'an and Luzhou to conduct more cold chain express services, giving people in Sichuan and Chongqing access to high-quality seafood products at cheap prices.