Kerry Logistics has launched a multimodal freight service combining road and rail between Lanzhou, China, and Islamabad, Pakistan. The initial service took goods including automotive parts, commodities and mechanical equipment on a 4,500km route that began with a block train before switching to truck. It took 13 days, saving 15 days on the conventional ocean route.
The first block train left Lanzhou on October 23, travelling 3,300km to the Kashgar Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Xinjiang. From there, goods were transferred to trucks for the remaining 1,200 km to Islamabad.
The company plans to make it a regular service in 2019.
The service is operated by Lanzhou Pacific Logistics, a member company of Kerry Logistics Network specialising in intermodal brokerage services across China and Central Asia. It is the second such service Kerry Logistics has introduced between China and South Asia, having previously launched an international freight route between Lanzhou and Kathmandu, Nepal in May 2016.
“As we continue to expand our capabilities and implement our development blueprint of capturing the opportunities along the Belt and Road trade route, we are thrilled to launch this new service that offers a significantly time-saving option to our customers,” said Edwardo Erni, MD of China and North Asia for Kerry Logistics. “Following the establishment of a new subsidiary in Pakistan in July 2018, this new service will help to better equip us to capitalise on the increasing trade activities between China and Pakistan facilitated by the CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor].”
Kerry Logistics introduced cross-border rail and trucking services from China through Kazakhstan to Caucasus and Turkey in June 2018, and has heightened its focus on the CPEC, offering freight services from multiple regions in China through Kashgar and Sost to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan through Lanzhou Pacific Logistics.
