Since today, 17 July, the Chinese version of the website is live: RailFreight.cn. Since the launch of RailFreight.com in 2016, the website has been expanding to bring news about the international rail freight industry to a worldwide audience. It is now entering the Chinese market.

Railfreight.cn is not only a mirrored website of railfreight.com in Chinese. It is a platform where European and Chinese industry colleagues meet. New Chinese professionals learn more about the European rail freight industry, while it is a chance for European companies to become visible in China. It is a showcase of collaboration opportunities across continents.

Filling the gap

“We wanted to expand to China, and came up with the idea to do this in Chinese. We believe we can really add value. What we really want, is connect our readers in Europe with readers in China”, said Joan Blaas, CEO of mother company Promedia Group.

From now on, there is a dedicated China Desk at RailFreight, headed by Jialu Zhang. She explains: “There is a huge information gap that we would like to fill. In practice, the two markets have different industry standards. For example, China has a lot of loose cargo, in Europe it is mostly palletised. In China, the industry works with 40ft containers, while in Europe this is 45ft. But in general, there is a communication gap, which we hope to overcome with our Chinese website.”

A shock-proof corridor

During the pandemic, multiple rail hubs around the world announced record-breaking volumes. Trade flows were shifted from other modalities to rail. Rail freight has proven to be resilient in a time of crisis, and not only that. It stood out as the best solution for transporting cargo across long distances. In the meantime, digitalisation has accelerated within the industry, with paperless terminals popping up across the supply chain.

One of the most remarkable success stories is the New Silk Road. From 2014 to 2019, the number of trains along the route increased by forty times. This year, traffic increased by more than 60 per cent, despite the pandemic.

“We saw the demand for information exchange between China and Europe. We saw the potential of collaboration between companies along the corridor. Most importantly, we believe that this can not be done via a single summit or exhibition. An integrated platform is needed”, said Zhang.

Now live

The website RailFreight.cn is now live. You can subscribe for the newsletter to stay updated. If you want your Chinese partner companies to understand the European rail industry better, please share this invitation with them.

On Friday 24 July, our weekly show RailFreight Live has a dedicated programme, all about the launch in China. Do not miss the opportunity and subscribe to the YouTube Channel today.