Tilburg Sees "Golden Opportunity" in Chengdu–Tilburg Rail Express Link

Published June 21, 2017 · Sino-Euro Railway

A direct railway link between Chengdu and Tilburg — the sixth-largest city and second-largest logistics hotspot in the Netherlands, 10,947 km from the Sichuan capital — has been hailed as a "golden opportunity" for Dutch-Chinese trade. Launched in June 2016, the service was already running three trains westbound and three eastbound per week, with plans to reach five in each direction.

The trains travel through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany before reaching RailPort Brabant, the terminal in Tilburg. Westbound cargo is mostly electronics for multinational groups such as Sony, Samsung, Dell and Apple, plus products for the European aerospace industry; about 70% stays in the Netherlands and the rest moves on by barge or train. Eastbound cargo includes auto spare parts, new cars and food products such as wine, cookies and chocolate, according to GVT Group, the Dutch partner of the Chengdu service.

A notable eastbound case came at the end of May, when Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) shipped its first eight containers of resin produced in Genk, Belgium, to Shanghai via the Tilburg–Chengdu service. Facing constraints on ocean capacity and air freight costs close to the sales price per ton, SABIC called the New Silk Road "a good alternative for air transportation." The containers arrived in about 20 days, on time and in good condition, avoiding a production stop.

Growth plans are matched by infrastructure challenges: trains must change wagon sets at the Małaszewicze border crossing because Russia and Poland use different track gauges, and the terminal can handle only 12 trains a day. GVT's general manager Roland Verbraak sees competition with links such as Chongqing–Duisburg as healthy business, since each route serves the needs of its own region.

The city of Tilburg has embraced the connection, setting up a "China desk" and organizing business trips to connect industries from both regions. "Every country in Europe wants to have good connections to China," said vice mayor Erik De Ridder. "We see it as a golden opportunity for the future." (Source: Xinhua)