DHL launches China/Russia rail service

DHL launches China/Russia rail service    DHL Global Forwarding said it has launched daily continental rail service from China to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States with shorter transit times and lower cost than ocean and air transport.
   The service will consolidate shipments and provide pickup and delivery in 14 Chinese cities, including the ports of Lianyungang, Tianjin and Qingdao, with export trains departing from Beijing and Shanghai. National rail operators on the route will stop in the following CIS states:
   ' Armenia.
   ' Azerbaijan.
   ' Belarus.
   ' Georgia.
   ' Kazakhstan.
   ' Kyrgyzstan.
   ' Moldova.
   ' Tajikistan.
   ' Turkmenistan.
   ' Ukraine.
   ' Uzbekistan.
   Trains will serve the following cities in Russia:
   ' Moscow.
   ' St. Petersburg.
   ' Irkutsk.
   ' Krasnoyask.
   ' Novosibirsk.
   ' Eekaterinburg.
   The so-called 'China land bridge' reduces transit time by ocean to 19 to 25 days from 35 to 42 days. DHL said the service costs 90 percent less than air freight and produces 95 percent fewer carbon emissions for certain routes.
   'China's phenomenal investment in its rail network is creating a cost-effective and flexible alternative link to West Asia and Central Europe. Customers are beginning to realize that the benefits of rail are only going to get better as the train network grows alongside intra-regional trade,' Kelvin Leung, chief executive officer of DHL Global Forwarding for North Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
   DHL said RFID technology on the rail system would enable customers to track their shipments.