A freight train carrying textiles, electronics, and machinery departs from Hai'an, Nantong, Jiangsu. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

On May 30, a full intermodal freight train carrying 45 cars of various goods, including textiles, electronics, and machinery, departed from the Hai'an Railway Logistics Base in Nantong, Jiangsu province.

The launch signifies the first full-train departure of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan international intermodal freight service from Hai'an, opening a new chapter for foreign trade development in Nantong and central Jiangsu.

The train is scheduled to travel north-west towards the Kashgar North Station in Xinjiang, with an estimated transit time of approximately seven days. Once at Kashgar, cargo will be transferred to trucks for cross-border transportation, reaching Kyrgyzstan within three days. Shipments will continue to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, in about five days and are expected to reach Hairatan, Afghanistan, within an additional seven days.

This innovative intermodal service offers distinct advantages over traditional rail routes by integrating the high-capacity, cost-efficiency of rail transport with the flexibility of road delivery. This enables customized and multi-destination cargo solutions to better meet the needs of China's connection with the world.