Shudao Freight Trains hit 10‑million‑tonne cumulative cargo milestone with three‑axis logistics network

According to Sichuan Provincial State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the total freight volume of Shudao freight trains has exceeded 10 million tonnes. Launched in December 2023, the Yangtze River service was later joined by the Northbound and Greater Bay Area routes, which commenced operations in July 2025. Within just over two years, Shudao Railway Operation Group has built up a three‑axis train system, expanding logistics coverage and raising the capacity of transport corridors.

Up to the present day, Shudao freight services have run more than 8300 individual trains along 364 different routes, calling at 100 departure‑and‑arrival stations across 40 cities in seven provinces: Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hebei, Shandong and Guangdong.

The Yangtze River train adopts an intermodal model combining railway collection, dam‑crossing haulage and water‑borne distribution. It relieves congestion at the Three Gorges ship lock and keeps logistics flowing between Chengdu‑Chongqing region, the middle Yangtze reaches and the Yangtze River Delta. This route cuts transit time by 15‑20 days compared with all‑water shipping.

The Northbound service forms a multi‑layered logistics network linking Sichuan with the Yellow River basin, the Bohai Rim and north‑east Asia. It functions as a key artery for grain shipments from northern to southern areas and for steady outbound movement of bulk raw materials leaving Sichuan.

The Greater Bay Area train applies innovative mixed and consolidated loading solutions. The design addresses practical difficulties for small‑and‑medium‑sized enterprises, whose smaller consignments previously struggled to form full trainloads and maintain fixed departure schedules. More than 300 types of goods are dispatched on this service, supporting over 200 business operators.

These three complementary routes transform the rail network from pure transport links into integrated industrial, economic and livelihood corridors. The whole Shudao train network connects the Chengdu‑Chongqing economic circle with the Beijing‑Tianjin‑Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong‑Hong‑Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area and city clusters along the middle Yangtze. Shudao Group will concentrate on corridor capacity expansion, cargo sourcing organisation and rolling‑stock upgrading to further improve operational performance for Sichuan’s development as an inland opening‑up hub and for coordinated regional growth.