UTi starts China-Europe rail freight service

The global supply chain services provider said its new weekly rail service linking China to Europe will be a cost-effective transportation option.    UTi Worldwide has launched its weekly “Iron Silk Road” rail service between China and Europe to provide shippers more cost-effective transport options.
   The service’s first link is between Harbin, the capital of China’s Heilongjiang province, and Hamburg, Germany, features lower rates than air freight and faster transit than ocean freight, UTi said.
   “This is only the first link in our Iron Silk Road rail service and only one of the many ways we are serving the logistics requirements of automotive, aerospace and other manufacturers,” UTi President of Freight Forwarding Ditlev Blicher said in a statement.
   UTi’s Iron Silk Road service is part of a joint venture with Changjiu Logistics, an automotive logistics company; Harbin Railway Bureau; and Dalian Port Investment Corp. The name of the joint venture is HAO Logistics Co., Ltd.
   “The establishment of HAO Logistics helps attract more investment into Heilongjiang province, and we believe it will elevate UTi’s brand awareness and penetration in the northeastern region of China as well,” Blicher said.