The return leg of the ASEAN Express, a freight train service linking Southeast Asia, China, and Europe, was launched in Duisburg, Germany, on Saturday, marking the beginning of its bidirectional operations.

The train, carrying maternal and infant products, cosmetics, and medical supplies, departed from Duisburg Port and will transfer in Southwest China's Chongqing for reconfiguration before it is expected to arrive in ASEAN countries within 19 days.

The first ASEAN Express set off to Europe last October. The train originally departed from Vietnam's Hanoi, transferred in Chongqing, and arrived in Poland's Malaszewicze for product distribution.

As of now, three routes have been opened, connecting Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand to Europe, via Chongqing, which serves as the transfer hub.

The service seamlessly connects the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a trade and logistics passage jointly built by China's western provinces and ASEAN members, and the China-Europe freight train service, a hallmark of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Companies now benefit from a unified shipping process that requires only a single order and one bill, in contrast to the previous system, which involved multiple entrustments, separate bills of lading, and repeated loading and unloading, said Liu Taiping, chairman of the New Land-Sea Corridor Operation Co Ltd and general manager of Yuxinou (Chongqing) Supply Chain Management Co Ltd, who spoke at the promotional event for the ASEAN Express following the departure ceremony.

Liu said the shipment via the ASEAN Express can take as little as 19 days, which is approximately 50 percent faster than traditional maritime shipping, while costing only about one-fifth of the cost of air freight.

Since the service began, nearly 1,400 twenty-foot equivalent units, with a total value of 1.9 billion yuan ($265 million), have been handled in just a few months, which reflects the high demand for the route, Liu said.

Johannes Philipper, chief operating officer of rail Germany at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, a German transport and logistics company that signed a memorandum of cooperation at the event to expand its network via the ASEAN Express, told China Daily that the service bridges established markets and emerging economies, benefiting Germany by supporting export of its finished vehicles, machinery, and medical supplies to ASEAN countries, while also bringing back fashion and high-tech products.

Philipper also said the ASEAN Express offers a "perfect and reliable" solution amid the current uncertainty in maritime shipping.

Hellmann has benefited from its long-standing partnership with Chongqing and Yuxinou, which helps the company deliver "stable and high-quality" service, with 400 batches of goods being transported via the China-Europe freight train since 2019, Philipper said.

"Everybody in the supply chain knows exactly what they need to do. Even if there are hiccups, we find solutions together…We have created something outstanding in the market. We, as a partner, believe in this collaboration, and we are looking forward to extending it together with them."

Lars Nennhaus, executive board member of Duisburger Hafen AG, the operator of Duisburg Port, who has witnessed the expansion of the China-Europe freight train service since its launch in 2011, told China Daily the ASEAN Express offers their clients "huge opportunities" for growth.

"I was here (at Duisburg Port) when we received the first train from Chongqing," said Nennhaus, who also serves as the chief operating officer and chief technology officer. "The new connection is not only the exchange of goods between countries. It is an exchange of cultures and people, which will bring countries closer, especially in the times we are living right now."

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