To put into simple words, Rail freight is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargos. Rail freight (railway shipping) is one of the most important means of transportation in international cargo shipping due to its advantages of big volume, high speed, low risk and punctuality. Here are some useful information about rail freight.
Rail freight (railway shipping) has been one of the most important means of transportation in international cargo shipping. Its importance is just less than sea freight. The advantage of it is a big volume, high speed, low risk, and punctuality.
1. International main railroads
The US is the country that has the longest railway in the world. The countries with the railway more than 50 thousand kilometers are US, Russia, Canada, India, and China.
1) Trans-Siberian railway
It is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian FarEast. With a length of 9,289 kilometers (5,772 miles), from Moscow to Vladivostok, it is the longest railway line in the world.
2) Canadian railway
Canada has a large and well-developed railway system that today transports primarily freight. There are two major publicly traded transcontinental freight railway systems, Canadian National and CanadianPacific. Canadian National links Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper National Park in the Rockies & Vancouver. Canadian Pacific links Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, St.Johns, and Halifax.
3) US railway
US railways have three main lines:
Northern Pacific Railway, one of the northern transcontinental railroads of the United States, operating between Seattle, Spokane, Bismarck, StPaul, Chicago, Detroit.
South Pacific Railway connects Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, Baltimore, Tucson, Paso, Huston, New Orleans.
Union Pacific Railroad connects San Francisco, Ogden, Omaha, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York.
4) Mideast to Europe Railway
From Basra to Baghdad, Mosul, Adana, Konya, Uskudar, and then to Istanbul, and connects to the Balkan railway and Sofia, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna, and joints the mid and west European railway network.
5) China International railway
There are two main railways from China to Europe. One goes through the Siberian continent of Russia and Mideast and European countries. And the other one from Lianyungang of Jiangsu province to Kazakhstan via Russia, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands. The second one is also known as New Eurasia Continental Bridge, whose length is 3000km shorter than going via the Siberian continent and 9000km shorter than going by sea.
2. Points for attention on international railway shipping
1) Check the container status. Before loading cargo to the container, check if the container is intact, not contaminated, without leakage, etc. If problems are founded on the container, require for exchange of containers or repairing.
2) Avoid overweight. The weight limit for 20’ container is 21.5tons and 40’ container 26.5tons. There are some other container weight limits. Make sure you check with your shipping agent.
3) Avoid unbalanced loading. Unbalanced loading is very dangerous for railway shipping, so the center of gravity shall be kept in the middle of the container. The Center of gravity should be kept within 10cm from the cross point of the diagonals.
4) Fasten the cargo. Fasten the cargo tightly inside the container to avoid the cargo moving during transportation, which might lead to the center of gravity shifts and overturning of the container.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Railway Transport
1) Advantages:
(a) Reliable. Railways shipping is the least affected by weather conditions compared to other means of shipping. And it has fixed routed and schedules. So it is more reliable than other shipping modes that are subject to many variable conditions.
(b) High speed in long-distance transportation. In long-distance transportation, railway shipping speed is relatively higher than other shipping modes.
(c) Cost-effective. It is cheaper compared to other shipping modes. Railway shipping fixed cost is relatively low and has fewer labor costs or other additional expenses.
(d) Safe. Shipping by railway on land has very little risk compared to other modes of shipping. Cargo is well protected from rain, snow, and hostile weather conditions.
(e) Large capacity. It is suitable for shipping bulky and heavy cargo.
2) Disadvantages:
(a) Inflexibility. Fixed routes and fixed shipping schedules make this mode of shipping not as flexible as some of the other shipping modes.
(b) Long-distance and large capacity. Railway shipping is only cost-effective for long-distance shipping. Though LCL cargo shipping is also available, large cargo is more cost-effective for this kind of shipping.
(c) No door to door service. The railway shipping itself has not doored to door service.
If you consider shipping your cargo by railway, please contact us at Global Spring. Our shipping expert would be more than happy to assist you in cost calculating and determining the best shipping solution. Give us a call and let us help you!
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