A New Milestone on the Road to the Red Sea! Chongqing’s Rail–Sea Intermodal Express Line Has Officially Been Opened, Paving the Way for a New Paradigm in Southwest China’s Access to the Sea.

Recently, a full‑container load of automotive parts manufactured by local Chongqing automakers departed from Chongqing’s Guoyuan Port aboard the Chongqing–Guangzhou rail‑sea intermodal service, bound for Guangzhou’s Nansha Port. The shipment comprises 24 forty-foot high‑cube containers and, upon arrival, will be transferred to RCL’s Red Sea Express direct service to the Red Sea. This marks the official launch of a dedicated Chongqing–Red Sea maritime route, further enhancing the trade‑route network along the Chongqing–Guangzhou corridor.

The first integrated fast‑track service has been launched, with direct Red Sea shipping boosting manufacturing in Southwest China.
         The Red Sea is a critical maritime corridor linking Southwest China to the Middle East and North Africa. Honghai Container Shipping’s new Red Sea Express service operates with 3,000‑TEU vessels, offering weekly scheduled sailings and a transit time of approximately 27 days, with direct calls at key Red Sea hub ports. For the first time, this Red Sea Express line has partnered with the Chongqing–Guangzhou intermodal rail service to handle export shipments bound for the Red Sea, establishing a convenient logistics route that connects Southwest China’s inland regions directly to the Red Sea.

Dual-port synergy and resource integration leverage corridor advantages to reduce logistics costs.
         As a comprehensive primary hub port in South China, Guangzhou Nansha Port serves as the core home port for Honghai Container Shipping’s Red Sea Express service, boasting well-developed supporting facilities and efficient customs clearance. Meanwhile, Chongqing Guoyuan Port, deeply rooted in the inland market and home to a large concentration of automotive manufacturers, has become a key export distribution center for auto parts in Southwest China. Leveraging the synergistic advantages of these two major hubs, the two ports have integrated high-quality resources across rail, port, and shipping networks to establish an end-to-end logistics solution—“container stuffing in Chongqing, direct rail transport, departure from Nansha, and direct Red Sea service”—while implementing a “single consignment, single document, single container” logistics model to strengthen the corridor’s alignment with the automotive industry.

         Leveraging the Chongqing–Guangzhou rail service’s reliable 48-hour transit time and its regular four weekly departures, the initiative has streamlined customs clearance procedures. Compared with traditional transport modes, this approach improves overall logistics efficiency by 20% and reduces logistics costs by 25%, providing Sichuan and Chongqing auto parts companies with a stable, cost‑effective gateway to international markets.

Multi-category normalized operations inject new momentum into the dual-circulation framework.
         At present, the Chongqing–Guangzhou rail-sea intermodal corridor has achieved regular, multi‑category transport, covering goods such as automobiles, cold‑chain products, and timber, with steadily improving logistics performance. The arrival of the Honghai Container Transport Red Sea special train marks a significant step in the Chongqing–Guangzhou corridor’s efforts to deepen its integration into the automotive industry chain and enhance its Middle East route network. This initiative will fully leverage the synergies between the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu–Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle, helping local southwestern manufacturers expand overseas, optimizing the inland business environment, and injecting momentum into upgrading and boosting regional foreign trade while fostering a dual‑circulation development pattern that links domestic and international markets.