On November 12, it was learned from the China Railway Kunming Group that Yunnan’s railway commodity car transportation is experiencing a “double boom” in both domestic distribution and international exports. Since November, Yunnan’s railways have transported an average of 1,020 commodity cars per day, setting a new historical record. As of November 12, the cumulative transportation of commodity cars this year has reached 310,000 vehicles, with new energy vehicles accounting for 40%.
On the morning of November 12, the dedicated automobile logistics line at Wangjiaying West Station, located in the southern suburbs of Kunming, was a scene of bustling activity. A JSQ-type railway freight train fully loaded with 290 brand-new cars arrived at the station, and staff quickly began unloading operations. Part of this batch of commodity cars, originating from places such as Jingmen in Hubei, Xiangtang in Jiangxi, and Xinzheng in Henan, will be directly supplied to consumer markets in 16 prefectures (cities) of Yunnan. The other part will be shipped via the China-Laos Railway to Southeast Asian countries like Laos and Thailand, reaching end-users in as little as 72 hours.
Li Nanxing, an engineer at the Kunming Train Operation Section of China Railway Kunming Group, stated: “In the past, automobile exports relied on sea freight, which took half a month. Now, using the China-Laos Railway, the delivery time has been significantly improved. Since the beginning of this year, by optimizing the pickup and delivery processes and strengthening multimodal transport, the turnover efficiency of commodity vehicles has increased by 30%. In the first 10 months, automobile exports via the China-Laos Railway increased tenfold year-on-year.”
In the western suburbs of Kunming, the Taohuacun Logistics Base, covering 265 acres with a storage area of 150,000 square meters, is operating efficiently. As the largest commodity automobile logistics hub in Southwest China, it integrates transportation, inspection, and storage functions. Two newly built modern unloading lines were recently put into operation. After their commissioning, the number of trains unloaded daily has jumped from 2 to 4-5, with volume increasing by more than double. This significantly reduces the turnover time of commodity cars within the freight yard, improves the utilization rate of site resources and unloading capacity, markedly enhances the transportation, distribution, and storage capacity for commodity cars, and lowers transportation costs for enterprises.
At the operation site, a big data platform dispatches vehicle assembly in real-time, and the customs’ “advanced declaration + intelligent inspection and release” model shortens customs clearance time. Professional engineers at the loading area monitor the entire process to ensure safe and secure loading. Domestic and international port stations along the China-Laos Railway coordinate in real-time to accurately track the status of goods in transit, ensuring the smooth exit and timely unloading of commodity cars.
Currently, Yunnan’s railways have become an important hub for the export of domestic new energy vehicles to Southeast Asia, hosting regular transportation for mainstream domestic brands like BYD, Changan, and Geely. Facing the surge in transportation demand, the railway department has adopted measures such as priority loading, priority attachment, and priority marshalling to facilitate quick loading and transport. This “full-process acceleration” maximizes the guarantee of transportation timeliness. (Wang Shaofen)
