Is Railway Import 70% Cheaper than Air Freight? Unveiling the New Logistics Tricks in Hefei

When Mr. Zhang first heard that importing equipment from Europe by railway could save 30% of the cost, he thought it was a "beautiful misunderstanding". It wasn't until he witnessed a batch of precision instruments passing through the Hefei railway port and completing the whole journey from the German factory to the Anhui workshop in just 18 days that this manufacturing practitioner realized: Railway import agents are rewriting the international trade rules in the Yangtze River Delta.

Compared with the high cost of air freight and the long time of sea freight, the railway network constructed by the China-Europe Railway Express shows unique advantages:

• Accurate Timeliness: Fixed schedules and temperature control throughout the journey, suitable for goods with high stability requirements such as precision instruments and auto parts.
• Cost Balance Point: The transportation price is only 1/3 of that of air freight, and the time limit is 2 - 3 weeks faster than that of sea freight.
• Policy Dividends: Hefei, as a national logistics hub, provides convenient measures such as priority customs clearance and value-added tax installment.

Professional agencies such as Zhongshitong usually provide full-chain services:

• Pick-up Abroad: Seamless connection with more than 200 railway stations in Europe.
• Document Pre-audit: Process documents such as certificates of origin and quality inspection reports in advance to avoid detention at the port.
• Tariff Optimization: Classify and declare according to the rules of free trade agreements.
• The Last Mile: Provide temporary storage and distribution services in local warehouses in Hefei.

Ms. Li's cosmetic raw material import project once faced challenges:

• The essential oils of plants that require constant temperature transportation are prone to deterioration during sea freight.
• The air freight cost squeezed the profit margin by 40%.

• The transportation cost was reduced to 35% of that of air freight.
• The cargo damage rate was reduced from 8% in sea freight to 0.5%.
• Complete bonded processing in Hefei Comprehensive Bonded Zone before customs clearance.

With the commissioning of the second phase of Hefei International Inland Port, railway import will usher in new changes:

• A new dedicated cold chain train line will be added in 2024.
• The intelligent customs clearance system will achieve "second-level release".
• Seamless connection between the China-Europe Railway Express and Jianghuai Shipping.

Have you calculated the optimization space of logistics costs for your own enterprise? Welcome to share your industry observations in the comment area, or send a private message to obtain the latest railway freight rate calculation table.