Shandong Hi-Speed Group’s new Shandong-Europe Express train from Jinan, China arrived in Hamburg’s Billwerder Terminal for the first time on 30 April 2020. The next departures from Jinan are scheduled for 16 and 30 May.
The new service left Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, on 10 April carrying valuable and time-sensitive cargo from China to Europe along the New Silk Road, according to the Port of Hamburg. The train was loaded with 41FEU filled with wind turbine parts, LEDs, tools, and medical supplies.
Currently, the train only operates from China to Europe. Port of Hamburg uses the containers in other ocean or shuttle services, returning them to China, Bengt van Beuningen, director of communications & information at the Port of Hamburg, told Container News.
“Hamburg is not only a hub for ocean shipping with China, but also an important junction for rail traffic between Europe and China on the New Silk Road,” Axel Mattern, executive board member of Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) stated.
Hamburg’s Senator for Economics, Michael Westhagemann added: “Some 12% of German rail cargo transport arrives at or departs from the Port of Hamburg. This puts us in an excellent starting position to make good use of this strength in a sustainable way on the Silk Road in the future.”
Last year, 204 train connections per week were operated between the Port of Hamburg and 20 destinations in China. Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chonqing, Dalina, Ganzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Qingdao, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shilong, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Yiamen, Xi’an, Yiwu, and Zhengzhou were regularly linked with Hamburg via the New Silk Road. In 2019, around 100,000TEU were transported by rail.
