China's "One Belt, One Road" (B&R) initiative is pushing global logistics companies to enhance their rail transport business between China and Europe. On Tuesday, U.S.-based UPS announced plans to add six stops on its rail service between Europe and China.
The firm disclosed Tuesday that its rail freight volume between China and Europe rose in both directions in 2016.
According to UPS, four of the new stops are in China - Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province and Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province. Two are in Europe - Germany's Duisburg and Poland's capital Warsaw.
UPS now has six stations in China and four stations in Europe that link the company's rail service between China and Europe. According to UPS, those key stations can help UPS provide services to dozens of cities in China and Europe with the company's other delivery modes like trucks.
Sherry Sun, director of freight forwarding at UPS Eastern China, said that the company's rail transport volume achieved double-digit growth between China and Europe in the past year. She didn't reveal specific details of cargo volume or profits in 2016.
According to Sun, freight transport volume has increased not only from China to Europe, but also on the return trips.
UPS started shipping goods by rail between China and Europe around 2015, about two years after the B&R initiative was launched in China.
In 2016, the number of express rail services that ran between China and Europe was 1,702, up 109 percent year-on-year, the 21st Century Business Herald reported in February.
