On June 18th, a cold chain freight train loaded with fresh fruits from Southeast Asia, including Thai durians and Vietnamese coconuts, arrived at the Nanning International Railway Port in Guangxi. This event signifies that the cross-border fruit cold chain rail service from ASEAN has entered a new phase of regular operation.

The introduction of this regular service is in direct response to the sustained growth in shipper demand for transport, according to China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd. The expanding brand influence of the "Dong Dang-Pingxiang-Nanning" fruit train route has led to an increasing number of shippers opting to dispatch ASEAN fruits via the railway cold chain service.

China Railway Nanning Group now flexibly schedules departures based on shipper demand, achieving a regular operation pattern. Currently, between one and six trains are dispatched daily, depending on cargo volume availability. From January to May this year, a total of 1,666 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of fruit entered China via the Pingxiang Railway Port, representing a year-on-year increase of 48%.

In line with cargo demand, the frequency of the regular ASEAN cross-border fruit cold chain train service has increased significantly, with a maximum of six trains operating daily. Customs clearance for fruit shipments can now be completed in as little as two hours, and the maximum daily inbound transport capacity has reached 240 TEUs. At present, once ASEAN fruits enter China via Pingxiang, mainline railway transport enables the cross-border delivery of fresh fruit on the same day.