Shandong Port Group (SPG), the world's largest port conglomerate in terms of cargo capacity, opened a new sea-rail combined transport route linking Jiaozhou and Qingdao in Shandong on July 28.

Jiaozhou, a county-level city in Qingdao, enjoys an advantageous geographical location and has been an important transportation hub since ancient times. It is home to the core area of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, or SCODA, which was launched in 2018 to serve SCO-related countries and economies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

In recent years, Jiaozhou has given full play to integration advantages as a transportation hub, and made great efforts to promote the construction of the Belt and Road new international logistics channel. The city has gradually become a world-class transit hub and an international gateway connecting the country and the world.

SPG and Jiaozhou have maintained a long history of cooperation. In 2014, the two sides signed an agreement to launch a circular express railway, and started the construction of the Jiaozhou Inland Port.

The new sea-rail combined transport route is expected to offer convenient and efficient logistics services for import and export enterprises in Shandong, and will further ease the pressure in the Dagang port area of Qingdao Port.

SPG opens a new sea-rail combined transport route linking Jiaozhou and Qingdao in Shandong on July 28. [Photo/WeChat account: Shandong-Port]