Shanghai sends first rail-road intermodal shipment to Central Asia

Shanghai initiated its first rail-road intermodal transport operation for export goods on Sept 16, when a container of industrial raw materials departed for Kyrgyzstan.

The shipment will be transported by railway, along with other containers, to Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where it will be transferred to a road vehicle for onward transportation, exiting China through the Torugart Port and arriving in Alamedin, Bishkek.

The rail-road intermodal transport pilot service was launched by the General Administration of Customs in 2024.

Export enterprises need only submit one multimodal transport declaration for goods, covering the entire journey from departure to transshipment point and exit port. This allows them to handle all customs procedures at the point of origin in a one-stop process.

The new multimodal transportation service can reduce logistics costs by about 30 percent.

Shanghai Customs has supported its development by enhancing data sharing through digital trade platforms.

At railway stations, officials provided tailored guidance and established a dedicated liaison mechanism to help companies complete formalities smoothly, while strengthening collaboration among railways, enterprises, and customs authorities.

Wang Sheng, marketing manager at Shanghai Railway Logistics Center, said the rail-road intermodal transportation service combines the high capacity and long-distance efficiency of railways with the flexibility of road transportation, offering shippers a competitive alternative to existing China-Central Asia rail services.