High-speed trains facilitate flow of goods between Kunming and Chengdu in SW China

At 4:25 a.m., fully loaded train DJ882 departed from Luoyangzhen Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, bound for Shuangliu West Railway Station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

This is a "special" train that does not sell tickets and has no seats in its carriages, yet it is always "full" every day.

Photo shows Luoyangzhen Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of Kunming branch of China Railway Express Co., Ltd.)

"The train exclusively carried goods, not passengers. It transported items like fresh flowers, fruits, clothing, pharmaceuticals, and electronics," said Mao Zhiyuan, manager of the high-speed railway express department of the Kunming branch of China Railway Express Co., Ltd. at Kunming South Railway Station. The train departed early in the morning and arrived at 10:31 a.m., ensuring same-day delivery before 6 p.m.

The train is a converted CRH2A train, with a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour, boasting advantages like a large carrying capacity, low energy consumption, and high efficiency.

Goods are transported using conveyor belts. (Photo courtesy of Kunming branch of China Railway Express Co., Ltd.)

Luoyangzhen Railway Station is a stop on the line connecting Kunming Railway Station and Kunming South Railway Station. It dispatches around 39 tonnes of goods daily, while 49 tonnes of goods arrive in Kunming from Chengdu. With its close proximity to the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, fresh flowers account for 26 percent of the goods transported.

Workers load goods onto train DJ882. (Photo courtesy of Kunming branch of China Railway Express Co., Ltd.)

To ensure punctuality and improve loading efficiency, automation has become a valuable tool. Conveyor belts have been installed on the platforms with a speed of 1 meter per second, ensuring goods reach each carriage directly. Mao estimated that unloading an entire train can now be done within an hour.

A fully loaded train is ready to depart. (Photo courtesy of Kunming branch of China Railway Express Co., Ltd.)

From July 12 last year to July 11 this year, the high-speed trains between Luoyangzhen Railway Station and Shuangliu West Railway Station operated for 325 days. During this period, goods sent from Kunming exceeded 1 million pieces, weighing 11,848.6 tonnes, and goods sent from Chengdu neared 1.6 million pieces, weighing 15,665.5 tonnes.

Currently, the railway department has opened 21 high-speed shipping train stations across Yunnan Province, covering 12 prefectures and cities. The operation of high-speed trains has created an economic, efficient, and convenient green logistics channel for intercity freight, contributing to the high-quality development of the real economy.