On October 16, a remarkable development unfolded in Xinjiang as a freight train loaded with agricultural machinery departed from the Central European Freight Train Assembly Center at the Urumqi International Land Port Area. This shipment is set to transfer to trucks in Kashgar and then proceed through the Irkeshtam border to Uzbekistan. This event signifies the implementation of the multimodal transport business model for exporting goods via rail and road in Xinjiang.
“Under this model, goods are transported by rail to the nearest railway station to the exit port, where they are transferred to trucks for export. The entire customs declaration process for export can be completed at the point of origin, eliminating the need for separate declaration, transfer procedures, or additional handling at the exit port,” explained Nurali Abdukertain, head of the Logistics Supervision Section of the Urumqi Customs Port Supervision Department.
It’s noteworthy that this approach has reduced the overall data for export goods declaration by 30%, streamlining the customs process significantly. Additionally, each container is saving at least 3,000 yuan in transportation costs.
In September of this year, the General Administration of Customs of China initiated a pilot program for the multimodal transport business model for exporting goods, aiming to enhance the application of multimodal logistics in cross-border trade. The Urumqi-Kashgar-Uzbekistan route has been designated as one of the first pilot lines in this initiative.
Li Gang, general manager of the Xinjiang International Land Port (Group) Co., Ltd., highlighted that the multimodal transport model enables efficient integration and seamless connection between rail and road transport resources. Through fully intelligent and convenient customs supervision, it aims to enhance logistics quality while reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
“The pilot program for the multimodal transport business model for export goods will further facilitate the customs clearance process for international multimodal shipments, which is of great significance for expanding institutional openness,” added Li Kaiyi, deputy director of Urumqi Customs.
