First “Rail-Sea-Rail” Multimodal Transport Train from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region to Greece Launched

The inaugural “rail-sea-rail” multimodal transport train from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region to Port of Piraeus in Greece was launched from Shijiazhuang International Dry Port recently. This initiative marks another step by Hebei governmentto create an open landscape characterized by land-sea coordination and two-way facilitation between East and West, establishing a new, efficient, and convenient international multimodal logistics corridor between the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Europe.

The service is operated by Hebei Land Port Group in collaboration with COSCO Shipping Lines (Hebei) Co., Ltd and Tianjin Port Group. Utilizing the "rail-sea-rail" multimodal transport model, the inaugural train carried 45 containers of "Made inHebei" products such as photovoltaic modules and rubber products. It departed from Shijiazhuang International Dry Port and was first shipped by rail to Tianjin Port, where it was loaded onto an COSCO Shipping ocean-going vessel bound for the Port of Piraeus in Greece. Upon arrival, the containers are to be distributed via the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line to final destinations including Serbia and Hungary.

As a flagship Belt and Road cooperation project between China and Greece, the Port of Piraeus is operated by COSCO Shipping Holdings and serves as Greece's largest port as well as one of the major container hubs in the Mediterranean. It has become a vital gateway radiating outward into Central and Eastern European markets. Leveraging the Port of Piraeus as a transport hub, the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line enables cargo arriving by sea to be quickly transferred to railways for efficient distribution to multiple landlocked European countries.

"We have fully integrated railway, maritime, and port resources with Hebei Land Port Group to successfully open this land-sea express corridor connecting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with Europe," said Dong Huibin, General Manager of COSCO Shipping Lines (Hebei) Co., Ltd. Mr. Dong also added, compared to the conventional route via the Strait of Gibraltar to the European hinterland,the new multimodal route connecting Shijiazhuang International Dry Port, Tianjin Port, the Port of Piraeus, and the EU via rail-sea-rail transportcan shorten the transit time by at least 7 days.This not only broadens the import and export channels to Europe, but also effectively ensures thesafety and smooth operation of the industrial and supply chains.

“The launch of this rail-sea-rail intermodal transport route further enriches the international logistics network of Shijiazhuang International Dry Port, supported by China-Europe Railway Express and multimodal transport, significantly extending our global reach and strengthening its risk resilience,” emphasized Guo Quanfu, Executive President of Hebei Land Port Group. He pledged that the Group would continue to leverage the land port as an open platform, deepen cooperation with partners like COSCO Shipping, railway authorities, and coastal ports, and optimize train operations, with the aim of improving cross-border trade facilitation, enhancing international logistics capabilities, and providing solid support for enterprises within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in expanding their global economic and trade ties. (By Reporter Xu Junqiang)