The DUSS terminal in Hamburg received “Shanghai Express”, the first container block train of the new service between Shanghai and Hamburg. The new service was inaugurated by deputy Mayors of Shanghai, Zong Ming, and Zhang Wei. Operated by Shanghai Orient Silkroad Intermodal Co. Ltd, the “Shanghai Express” came via Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Poland.
Peter Tschentscher, Hamburg’s First Mayor, said that Hamburg and Shanghai have been partner cities for now 35 years and the new container train service will further boost the trade relations between the cities. He added that the two cities cooperate not only on industry and trade, but also on education, culture, and science. Delighted with the new train service, Mr. Mayor said that “Shanghai Express” will bring Shanghai and Hamburg closer and termed the service as an important addition to German-Chinese trade routes.
The train had left Shanghai with fifty 40-ft containers on 28th September and traveled more than 10,000 km to finally arrive in Hamburg, Germany. The operators expect to offer a return run from Hamburg within a month. Depending upon the route and destinations, it usually takes 14-18 days for a train from China to reach Germany.
China had sent the first test trains to Germany in 2005 and by 2015 nearly 400 trains were connecting the two countries. In 2016, the German railway Deutsche Bahn transported more than 40,000 containers between the two countries. Last year there were hundreds of weekly train services marketed between Hamburg and 20 destinations in China and a total of 107,000 TEU were carried between Hamburg and China. The trade relation between China and Germany is expected to prosper and new connections from Wuhei in Gansu and Shijiazhuang in the province of Hebei have been added this year to further increase the level of connectivity between the two nations.
