China Multimodal Transport Development Alliance Launched to Boost Logistics Efficiency

On April 29, the China Multimodal Transport Development Alliance, an enterprise cooperation mechanism initiated by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. and widely participated by relevant parties in multimodal transport, was established in Beijing. With the core goal of “building the 95306 National Multimodal Transport Platform”, the alliance is set to promote the high-quality development of multimodal transport, which is of great significance for optimizing the transport structure, reducing social logistics costs, serving the construction of a unified national market and supporting the building of a transportation power.

China Railway News reports that the alliance was jointly initiated by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, China Merchants Group Co., Ltd., China Logistics Group Co., Ltd. and China Digital Link Logistics Information Co., Ltd., five leading central enterprises in China’s logistics field. It is a national, cross-industry, open and non-profit enterprise cooperation platform, aiming to give full play to the role of various transportation methods and diverse market entities.

A person in charge of the Logistics Center of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said that as the backbone of China’s comprehensive transportation system, railways have the institutional advantages of a national network and centralized unified command, which can effectively connect water transport, highways and other multimodal transport parties. “Promoting the high-quality development of multimodal transport is a practical action to implement the important deployment of accelerating the building of a transportation power and building a modern logistics system,” he added.

The alliance will focus on building three cooperation platforms – rail-water intermodal transport, rail-highway intermodal transport and technological innovation – as well as the 95306 National Multimodal Transport Service Hotline. The rail-water intermodal transport platform will formulate cooperation rules, analyze market demand, build “train + liner” channels and promote digital collaborative docking, with regional working groups set up in major coastal and riverine areas.

The rail-highway intermodal transport platform will focus on rail-highway intermodal logistics business based on railway logistics stations, promote the construction of driver homes at logistics nodes, break data barriers and accelerate the construction of new energy charging and swapping stations, pushing rail-highway intermodal transport towards green, low-carbon and intensive development. China Multimodal Transport Development Alliance official website notes that 360 rail-water intermodal trains have been opened, with plans to increase the frequency and strive to exceed 500 in the future.

The technological innovation platform will track the development trend of multimodal transport technologies at home and abroad, integrate innovation resources and promote the application of innovative achievements. The 95306 hotline will provide one-stop comprehensive services such as business consultation and demand acceptance, realizing “one-number response, collaborative disposal and full closed-loop management”.

The first batch of 66 member units, adopted by invitation, covers leading enterprises and institutions in railway, shipping, port, highway, comprehensive logistics and logistics research fields. The alliance has a coordination committee as the highest deliberative and coordinating body, with a secretariat supported by the Logistics Center of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. for daily operation. Its official website (https://dsly.95306.cn) was launched simultaneously.

The person in charge stated that the alliance has issued six initiatives to industry peers across the country, which have received positive responses. He emphasized that the establishment of the alliance is a milestone for the high-quality development of China’s multimodal transport, and it will further gather industry wisdom and strength to make greater contributions to building a modern logistics system.