Recently, the 55004 double-deck semi-high container rail-sea intermodal pilot train departed from the Railway Equipment’s Baotou Logistics Park, marking the first such operation in China under a through-container system.
This train composed of 38 retrofitted STX-type piggyback wagons, allowing two 40-foot semi-high containers to be stacked vertically and carrying a total of 42 semi-high containers per train. The train ran on the Wanshuiquan South Station–Huanghua Port–Jingtang Port sea-rail direct intermodal route, adhering to the through-container system operating standards throughout the entire journey: containers were loaded directly onto vessels upon arrival at the port, with no container transshipment or opening required during the entire process. Compared with conventional 40-foot and 20-foot container transport, this approach achieved greater utilization of vehicle load capacity and route timetable marginal capacity. Direct vessel loading of fully assembled containers also significantly reduced port transshipment and cargo damage costs. The STX-series piggyback wagons were jointly developed by China Shenhua’s Railway Equipment Company and CRRC, and serve as specialized equipment supporting the second batch of national multimodal transport demonstration projects.
This trial has yielded positive preliminary results, offering a valuable reference for improving logistics equipment technologies and leveraging the cost reduction and efficiency enhancement benefits of multimodal transport. It has also provided China Shenhua with practical experience for the future large-scale deployment of double-deck container transport for bulk commodities.
