Thailand’s ‘durian’ train to China arrives in record time
The “durian” train from Map Ta Phut to Guangzhou has smashed records when it comes to the time it takes to transport fruit from Thailand to China.
Logistics company Pan-Asia Silk Road Ltd (PAS) said on Monday its freight train carrying 25 refrigerated containers packed with durian pulled in at Guangzhou station at 9.20pm on Sunday, half a day ahead of schedule.
The train, which left Rayong’s Map Ta Phut station on Wednesday morning, covered 3,453 kilometres through Nong Khai province and Laos. It entered China via the Mohan checkpoint in Yunnan, before reaching Guangzhou in four and a half days instead of five.
PAS said the rain stopped for refuelling at Kunming station on Saturday after leaving Mohan and then ran non-stop to Guangzhou.
“The four-and-a-half-day record beats previous records of fruit transport to China. It is twice as fast as transporting via road and up to three times faster than ships,” the company said. “It’s only slower than air freight, which is far more expensive.
“Hence, it can be concluded that PAS’s Thailand-Laos-China freight route is the fastest, cheapest and safest way of exporting fruit to China,” PAS declared.
This is the first train on the new Thailand-Laos-China freight route run by PAS and its partners, namely China Railway Express Co Ltd, Guangzhou Communications Investment Group Co Ltd, Laos-China Railway Co Ltd, Shenzhen Eternal Asia Supply Chain Co Ltd, Vientiane Logistics Park, State Railway of Thailand, PTT Plc, Oriental Merchant Express Co Ltd, and Asia Express Logistics Co Ltd.
This is also the first time for a freight train from Map Ta Phut to reach Guangzhou with all 25 containers attached and never having to leave the track from start to finish, PAS said.
The company believes the route will soon become the most preferred choice among Thai exporters of durian, mangosteen and frozen seafood, as well as importers of products from China.
PAS will start running a daily Thailand-Laos-China freight train in May, with the train stopping at three key cities in China, namely Kunming, Chongqing, and Guangzhou. The company has at least 1,000 refrigerated containers, also known as “reefers” for Thai exporters, and will carry imported products from China such as chemical fertilisers, agricultural machines, and e-commerce products on the way back. These products target markets in Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia.
