Dachser organizes its first complete train from China to Europe

With fifty 40-foot containers (FEU), the train arrived in Ludwigshafen, Germany, in late December.

This is the first westbound train organized by the Dachser Germany and China teams. Dachser had already organized a regular train last year for chemicals heading east from Frankfurt, Germany to China.

For this new route, the Dachser China team coordinated the entire process with the railway operator, including the collection of the goods, delivery to the terminal and customs clearance. Later in Ludwigshafen, the Dachser Mannheim delegation organized the distribution of the containers via the Dachser network to other cities in Germany and in Europe. “The pandemic and the consequent shortage of air and sea transport capacity have led to increased demand for rail transport. It is also high season in Asia at the moment due to the approaching Chinese New Year, which has also boosted the market, ”says Vedat Serbet, Rail Services Manager EMEA at Dachser. "We are seeing a trend in which more and more customers are looking for reliable and cost-effective transport solutions between the two continents and lately they are choosing the rail transport option."

Reliable and competitive alternative

The New Silk Road, which connects China to Europe via Erenhot in Mongolia, then Russia, Belarus and Poland, provides an overland route with stable conditions to transport, for example, chemicals. At the same time, this solution is an efficient and profitable alternative to air and sea transport. “Rail transportation is reliable in terms of scheduling and allows customers to avoid volatile ocean freight rates or sudden flight cancellations. And last but not least, this means of transport is more affordable than air transport ”, concludes Serbet.