DHL Global Forwarding has introduced two new block train connections from Germany to China at the end of May to meet the heavy demand for alternative transport modes and to speed up transit times to Asia.

The new connection will move from the KTL terminal on the BASF site in Ludwigshafen travels via Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan to destination terminal in Xi'an, the capital of the Chinese province Shaanxi.

In addition, an express train connection has been deployed between Neuss and Xi’an via Kaliningrad (Russia) reducing the transit time to 12 days.

"With these connections, DHL Global Forwarding’s rail network is further expanding and providing customers access to faster lead times to Asia covering both less-than-container-load (LCL) and full-container-load (FCL)," a statement from DHL said.

The logistics giant said the implementation of complete block train routes from Europe to China reflects the growing demand for imports and speed to deliver to Asian countries complementing DHL’s already existing block trains from Xi’an and Chengdu to Europe.

"In the last years, we observed an increasing demand for rail service products to and from China,” said Thomas Kowitzki, head of Chinarail, Multimodal at DHL Global Forwarding Europe.

“Their cost-effectiveness, short transit time, and lower CO2 emissions compared to other transport modes make them an attractive alternative.” 

He noted that the use of logistics services and infrastructure of KTL terminal in Ludwigshafen is another step towards an even more resilient supply chain.

Rhine-Main region

"The Rhine-Main region around Ludwigshafen as a European gateway and important source of volume is an ideal starting point for our transports,” said Max Siep, head of business development/network management Chinarail of DHL Global Forwarding Europe.

“Ensuring that more customers can benefit from the reliability, speed, and climate-friendliness of our rail products, we are expanding the service to more departures and – at the same time - gradually improving the transit time,”  he added.

DHL said the new Germany-to-China rail services have been established in cooperation with long-term partner RTSB GmbH, Friedrichsdorf, Germany.

The block trains are loaded with goods from all over Europe and transported over 9,400 km to the central hub for train services in Xi’an, where DHL distributes the cargo within China and to neighbouring countries like South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The new routes also shorten transit times for customers in other European countries like Benelux, France, Iberia, and the UK.