Container freight trains from Vietnam to Belgium help boost railway logistics services

The first container freight train from Vietnam to Belgium. (Photo: VNA)

Container freight trains from Vietnam to Belgium will open up a new cooperation direction to increase benefits of railway logistics services, Deputy General Director of the Rail Transport and Trade Joint Stock Company (Ratraco) Nguyen Hoang Thanh told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

The first train departed from Hanoi’s Yen Vien station on July 20 for Liege city of Belgium, where the goods continued to be transported to Rotterdam of the Netherlands by lorries.

The second train left the Yen Vien station on July 27, while the third and fourth are expected to set off on August 5 and August 10.

This is the result of cooperation between the Vietnamese railway sector and Maersk Lines of Denmark, Thanh said, adding that the Vietnamese side is in charge of packing goods into containers at warehouses and transporting them to the Yen Vien station and then to the country's border with China.

Regarding the issue that Vietnamese railways cannot operate a train on its own to provide direct freight transport services to Europe instead of just serving as an intermediary to supply logistics services, Thanh said that at this time, it is very difficult for the sector to organise a rail transport route from Vietnam to Europe.

At present, Vietnam's railway infrastructure remains limited, as it can only set up a 23-carrriage train while the Asia-Europe freight train must have a minimum of 41 carriages.

Therefore, Vietnam's railways must cooperate with other partners to ensure the necessary conditions, he said.

However, Thanh said that cooperation with major businesses such as Maersk Lines – the world’s largest container shipping company – will open up more opportunities for Vietnam’s railway industry./.