On January 5, a freight train carrying 72 standard containers of wheat departed from Shatuji Inland Port in Heze, Shandong Province, bound for Puxing Station in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, marking the successful inaugural run of the "Northbound Train" grain transport project between Sichuan and Shandong provinces.

This shipment adopted the "bulk-to-container" model using 20-foot containers, effectively reducing loading and unloading time and cutting grain loss by 3%–5%. It enables seamless intermodal connectivity between rail and road transport, establishing a stable and reliable grain logistics corridor between northern grain-producing regions and southwestern consumer markets.

Previously, over 95% of logistics between Sichuan and Shandong relied on road transport, which has long been plagued by frequent freight rate fluctuations and low organizational efficiency. On July 22, 2025, the "Northbound Train" service was officially launched, opening a new logistics channel between the two provinces.

According to Sichuan Shudao Railway Operation Management Group Co., Ltd., this inaugural run integrated resources from Jinan Railway Logistics Center and Shandong Port Logistics Group. Wheat, consolidated from major production areas in Shandong, was transported directly to Sichuan via containerized rail service, ensuring consistent transit times and reducing logistics costs by 20%–30% compared to traditional bulk road transport.

Going forward, the two regions will continue to deepen the development of their intermodal transport system, upgrading the Shandong–Sichuan "Northbound Train" corridor from merely "able to transport" to "faster, higher-quality, and lower-cost" operations.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】