Jul 15, 2020 admin There are no comments

In recent days, significant complications have been noted in connection with transport along the railway Silk Road. As reported by local media, the reason for this state of affairs is the huge queues at the border crossing in Alashankou-Khorgos - the main border crossing point between China and Kazakhstan. Each year, several hundred thousand shipments are checked through this key border point, which in turn proves the seriousness of the problem and the urgent need to resolve the crisis that has arisen. Unfortunately, the forecasts, although optimistic, require patience.

Can any delays be expected in this case?

Difficulties have a significant impact on regular driving express freight trainsthey provide commercial connectivity between Asia and Europe. According to arrangements trains running from China to Central Asia were suspended until the end of June, which may have a negative impact on the frequency of connections and the unloading and loading of goods from further parts of the country. In the case of railway sets that start their operation on the European side, numerous delays are expected - the reason responsible for this state of affairs is the large number of trains running along that route and the limited capacity of border terminals, which increases the queues. Increased traffic is not conducive to unloading queues, because each set requires appropriate control procedures. According to local authorities, the solution to this problem would certainly be the extension of the main railway line and the modernization of the border crossing point, which would increase the clearance capacity.

As mentioned earlier, from Monday, June 22 this year, the local authorities decided to completely close the connections to Central Asia - according to experts, this will allow to increase the capacity of customs clearance at the borders, at the same time restoring the current course freight trains. However, it cannot be denied that the situation is very dynamic and changes day by day. So what will the situation in July look like? The official position on this matter will be taken by the General Railway Administration in China, which, analyzing the actual state of affairs, will issue appropriate announcements - therefore, the current situation at the border and the announcements issued by local state apparatuses should be closely monitored.

The situation related to the trip is slightly more positive intercontinental trainsthey leave China - in this case, there is a possibility of customs clearance with various restrictions. One of the restrictions was the complete suspension of rail traffic on June 24-26. In practice, this meant a longer stopover of railway sets on the Sino-Kazakh border.

This is not the end of the restrictions - additional difficulties on the trail in Erenhot

Unfortunately, in addition to the main crossing in Alashankou-Khorgos, the border point in Erenhot is also struggling with a similar situation, which due to heavy rainfall, abundant in flooding, effectively prevented travel over the 50-kilometer stretch between Choir and Ulan Bator in Mongolia. The reorganization of the railway routes caused numerous problems requiring the modernization of the tracks and other logistic processes, which increased the difficulties also in this place.

Let's remind that Silk Road is a key element in the freight transport between Asia and Europe. Forecasts for the near future are not optimistic, one should take into account the delays, which may change. For this purpose, it is worth monitoring the current situation at the state borders on an ongoing basis. Not only foreign carriers complain about the difficulties, but also local residents who have to face the problems. It cannot be denied that the nearest future will require understanding and patience. We invite you to follow any updates available on our website and to contact our consultants who are constantly following the latest press releases from this region.