Freight rail key to China’s interior development
China’s intermodal rail system holds the key to opening the country’s interior to increased export production, APL North Asia President Ken Glenn told a conference in Chonqqing Friday.
Glenn said expansion of freight rail service would attract increased investment to western and central China, regions coveted for their lower manufacturing costs.
“It is our belief that with expanded infrastructure, the rate of investment in these regions will accelerate and grow at a faster rate than China overall,” he told the China Chongqing International Investment and Global Sourcing Fair.
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Glenn said APL will look for opportunities in China to build upon the inland rail service template it has brought to India and Egypt in recent years.
Glenn said manufacturers will increasingly move west as capacity, frequency and the quality of rail connections between the interior and China’s seaports improve. He added railroads are less expensive and produce fewer emissions than trucks and provide greater flexibility than river barges.
“China can be proud of having some of the world’s largest and most productive seaports,” he said. “Intermodal rail has the most promise and potential to address the long-distance logistics and transportation needs of the country’s export manufacturers.”