“The testing of China-Europe (Changchun-Hunchun-Europe) train is going smoothly. As of 15:00 on May 6, it had reached customs inspection in Russia,” Wang Yue, President of Changchun International Land Port Development Co., Ltd., said excitedly when looking at her mobile phone message. 

The train loaded with 108 TEUs of such goods as auto parts left for Hunchun from Changchun Xinglong Railway Port on April 25; then went out of border from Hunchun on April 30 for a journey via Russia to Poland, Germany and other European countries. This is the second intermodal channel of transportation that follows Changchun-Manhouli-Europe as a brand-new line “out of province, out of border” opened by Jilin Province for the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Hunchun Railway Port, the only one of its kind in Jilin Province to Russia, conducted its first testing of train out of border which was made possible after the import testing completed in Russia in 2019 based on which active efforts to accumulate experience and find out solutions to the problems appeared in the course were made by Changchun International Land Port Development Co., Ltd. and its partners. Insiders say upon completion of this testing the “Changchun-Hunchun-Europe” line’s entry-exit tests will be completed, and normalized operations will be started by the end of this year. 

Complementary to each other, “Changchun-Hunchun-Europe” and “Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe” are expected to provide a new pattern of two options for intermodal transportation from Jilin Province to Europe, which in turn will effectively alleviate the pressures of China-Europe trains (especially the eastern exit port). The capacity of “Changchun-Hunchun-Europe” trans will be expanded step by step so as to serve the eastern line as a new option for the import and export enterprises to avoid the loss of costs caused by congestions and delays at a single entry-exit port. 

The opening of “Changchun-Hunchun-Europe” line has furthered expanded the channel of transportation in Jilin Province for the Belt and Road Initiative and will therefore get connected with the Chang-Ji-Tu Strategy and Russia’s Far East Development Strategy. It will bring about new advantages for the province to trade with Eurasian countries, and also gradually attract the distribution of goods to the province from surrounding areas and even the whole country, thereby facilitating the province’s opening up to the outside world, high-quality development of economy and meanwhile the province and city’s fast integration into the dual circulation.