DB Schenker has run its first tests of a common consignment note for rail freight shipments between China and Europe – with the promise of shorter journey times.
The first container train dispatched from China by DB Schenker under a common consignment note arrived in Germany earlier this week.
Once the procedure is introduced on regular services, it will be possible to assure shorter journey times. Trains currently arriving in Duisburg from Chongqing in China’s hinterland require 18 days for the journey – which is half the time required when shipping freight by sea.
“The shorter transit time that is now possible will give new impetus to the Eurasian Land Bridge and allows us to recommend ourselves to our customers as an innovative, strong and reliable partner,” said Dr Karl-Friedrich Rausch, member of the management board of DB Mobility Logistics AG responsible for the Transport and Logistics Division.
DB Schenker provided the service for a consumer electronics manufacturer who has been sending container trains for two years now from Chongqing along the 11,000 km route through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland to Germany.
With a common consignment note the complete information required for the transit and receiver countries en route must also be included on the consignment note when it is issued in China.
This means that time spent at border crossings can be significantly reduced, with a corresponding reduction in provision and transit times.
