(Yicai Global) April 20 -- Wuhan, a major city in central China, has launched a Europe-Wuhan-Taiwan rail-sea transport link that is expected to help firms cut costs.

A test container loaded in Duisburg, Germany arrived in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, yesterday. It was then sent by rail to the port city of Ningbo, from where it will be shipped by sea to Keelung in Taiwan.

The entire journey is expected to take 30 days, according to an official, which is about 14 days shorter than conventional sea freight, allowing businesses to reduce their overall logistics costs.

Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics has operated five intermediary trade lines so far, including the Japan-Wuhan-Europe/Mongolia Line, South Korea-Wuhan-Europe Line and Europe-Wuhan-Hong Kong Line. These links are expected to make Wuhan an international logistics hub, by integrating its railroad, waterborne freight and port resources.

In the first quarter of this year, China-Europe rail freight reached 4,186 trains carrying 449,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, up 15 percent and 28 percent respectively from a year ago. China-Europe freight via Wuhan reached 315 trains and 25,968 TEUs, increases of 203 percent, according to China State Railway Group. 

Editor: Tom Litting