Sea-Rail Intermodal Transport Upgraded for Faster and Deeper Inland Reach, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Intensifies Role in Stabilizing Supply Chains and Strengthening Global Port Status

Ningbo Daily – By Reporter Shan Yu Zifeng and Correspondent Hu Jinqu

The final quarter is witnessing significantly tightened coordination between rail and terminal operations at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. A series of recent milestones highlight this push: On October 30, the “Yiwu (Suxi) - Ningbo Zhoushan Port” sea-rail intermodal train surpassed 60,000 TEUs in cumulative volume, achieving its annual target two months ahead of schedule. This was preceded by the launch of Wuhan-Ningbo-Zhoushan Port express rail service on October 20, which slashed transit time from 35 to 24 hours, and the successful inaugural run of the “Hefei Paihe-Ningbo Zhoushan Port” Timed Circular Freight Train on October 14.

These achievements underscore the critical role of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's sea-rail intermodal services as a vital lifeline, keeping vital supply chains stable and goods flowing amid a complex global trade environment. From January to September, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port extended its sea-rail intermodal services to 69 prefecture-level cities in 16 provinces, operating 111 dedicated containerizedsea-rail intermodal transport routes. This expansive network has provided a robust foundation for the seamless operation of industrial and supply chains in its economic hinterland.

This progress dovetails with the broader trend of China's foreign trade, which, despite headwinds, has continued to advance and improve in both scale and quality. In the first three quarters,the nation’s total import-export value grew 4 percent year-on-year to 33.61 trillion yuan, a performance that underscores the sector's enduring resilience. As a pivotal hub connecting the land and maritime corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is expanding its sea-rail intermodal services and enhancing efficiency to meet evolving global trade needs. During this period, its sea-rail intermodal container throughput exceeded 1.5 million TEUs, a 6.07 percent year-on-year increase, cementing its role as a logistics artery that penetrates deep into the hinterland and bridges China with the world.

An efficiency revolution fuels this drive. At the Yiwu (Suxi) International Hub Port, an intelligent, end-to-end coordination system between remote-operated gantry cranes and unmanned container trucks supports the stable operation of three timed circular freight trains each day. This system has slashed single-trip loading and unloading time to just two hours, enabling a daily average throughput of 600 TEUs and a record single-day high exceeding 900 TEUs.

In Hefei, the newly launched “Hefei Paihe-Ningbo Zhoushan Port” service, with its fast 25-hour transit in both directions and reliable, scheduled cyclic operation, has established a "high-speed maritime gateway" for enterprises in Anhui.

In Aksu, Xinjiang, a growing array of "Xinjiang-branded" products are poised to access global markets via the new Aksu-Ningbo Zhoushan Port rail-sea line, which opened early this month. As the longest-reaching route in the port's sea-rail intermodal services, it not only diversifies export pathways for the Aksu region but is also expected to cut export logistics costs for Xinjiang's foreign trade firms by approximately 30 percent.

This operational drive is providing solid support for foreign trade growth. Ningbo Customs statistics show that in the first three quarters, the Port of Ningbo handled a total import-export value of 2.02 trillion yuan, up 6.1 percent year-on-year. Notably, exports accounted for 1.54 trillion yuan, growing by 10 percent.

The high-efficiency sea-rail intermodal service has played a pivotal role. As this network extends deeper into central and western China, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port not only secures the supply of raw materials and the export of finished goods for the manufacturing sector within Yangtze River Delta but also drives a closer convergence between theYangtze River Economic Belt, the broader inland hinterland, and the Maritime Silk Road. In late October, this effort gained further recognition when the Nanchang-Ningbo Zhoushan Port river-seacontainer shipping route and Chongqing-Ningbo Zhoushan Port river-seacontainer shipping routewere selected as exemplary cases for a national 2025 initiative to cultivate branded river-sea routes.

"Our focus remains on clearing the bottlenecks between sea, river, and land ports," stated a senior representative of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. "By further refining our logistic advantage in port collection and distribution system, we can fully unlock the synergistic economic potential between the port and its hinterland. We are doubling down on these efforts in the fourth quarter."The port's strategy involves continuously increasing train frequencies and expanding the range of cargo types. This upgraded "Corridors, Hubs and Networks" frameworkis designed to inject powerful new momentum into its dual mission, namely establishing itself as a world-class port and reinforcing China's dual-circulation development strategy.