China Rail has opened a new intermodal centre at Jiaozhou city to enhance the container services to and from the port of Qingdao and other harbours to the eastern Province of Shangdong, according to the Shipping Gazette.
The report, citing Xinhua news, said the centre is expected to handle 800,000 TEU in 2011, 1.6 million TEU in 2015 and three million TEU in 2025 with an estimated rail freight operating income of RMB1.6 billion (NZD$326 million) in 2011 and of RMB6 billion in 2025.
Also, this centre is equipped with automatic recognition systems for both container trucks and individual boxes. Imports and exports can receive customs clearance too.
The centre is one of the 18 major intermodal centres in China established by the Ministry of Railways and occupies 121 hectares, where more than 67 hectares are allocated for container operations.
โ Source: Shipping Gazette