Singapore and Chongqing are piloting a new cargo transport route that could lower the logistics costs of European goods arriving in the Republic by up to 60 per cent, as part of a Sino-Singapore connectivity project.
Revealing details of the plan at a recent seminar, Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan said European goods will be transported via the Yuxinou freight rail between Germany and Chongqing in a 12-day journey, stored in tax-free zones and sent by air to Singapore.
Mr Huang said the mixed rail-air route via the 11,000km Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway will shave logistics costs by 60 per cent as air freight now costs five times that of rail freight, compared with the cost of transporting European goods, such as luxury products, via air to Singapore. He added that there are plans for 50 such Europe-Chongqing-Singapore cargo trips this year and 100 next year, with the first starting on 28 April. The route will also offer a cheaper alternative for Asian products going to European markets.