Recently, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region’s first “rail-sea-rail” multimodal transport block train to the Port of Piraeus, Greece, departed from Shijiazhuang International Inland Port. This is another initiative by Hebei Province in building an open pattern featuring domestic and international connectivity through land and sea, and mutual reinforcement between the east and west. It adds another efficient and convenient international multimodal logistics channel between the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Europe.
This train route is jointly organized and operated by Hebei Land Port Group, COSCO Shipping Lines Co., Ltd. Hebei Company, and Tianjin Port. This trip carried 45 containers of “Made in Hebei” products such as photovoltaic modules and rubber products. Adopting the “rail-sea-rail” multimodal transport model, it departs from Shijiazhuang International Inland Port, reaches Tianjin Port by rail, boards a COSCO Shipping ocean-going freighter to the Port of Piraeus in Greece, and is then distributed to countries such as Serbia and Hungary via the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line railway.
It is reported that as a landmark project under the China-Greece co-built Belt and Road Initiative, the Port of Piraeus is controlled and operated by COSCO Shipping. It is the largest port in Greece and one of the largest container ports in the Mediterranean region, serving as an important gateway radiating to the Central and Eastern European markets. Relying on the Port of Piraeus as a transportation hub, the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line enables goods to be quickly transferred to railways upon arrival by sea and reach multiple landlocked European countries.
“We have fully integrated railway, shipping, and port resources with Hebei Land Port Group to successfully open up this land-sea express line connecting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with Europe,” said Dong Huibin, General Manager of COSCO Shipping Lines Co., Ltd. Hebei Company. Compared to the traditional transport route bypassing the Strait of Gibraltar to reach the European hinterland, the new “rail-sea-rail” multimodal transport route—Shijiazhuang International Inland Port–Tianjin Port–Port of Piraeus–EU—shortens the transport time by at least 7 days. It not only broadens the import and export channels to Europe but also strongly ensures the security and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains.
“The opening of this ‘rail-sea-rail’ multimodal transport line further enriches the international logistics network supported by China-Europe Railway Express and multimodal transport at Shijiazhuang International Inland Port, enhancing the radiation and risk resilience of overseas channels,” said Guo Quanfu, Executive President of Hebei Land Port Group. He stated that they will continue to leverage the inland port’s role as an open carrier platform, strengthen cooperation with various parties including COSCO Shipping, railway departments, and coastal ports, optimize the organization and operation of block trains, improve the facilitation level of cross-border trade, enhance international logistics service capabilities, and provide strong support for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei enterprises in expanding international economic and trade exchanges. (Reporter Xu Junqiang)
