2019年CRI China, Germany can cooperate in rail transport under BRI: official

 

The head of a German business association says his country and China have room to expand their respective rail transportation sectors¹ through the Belt and Road framework.

Olaf Kruger, the chair of Germany's International Rail Freight Business Association, says the Belt and Road is good for improving transportation infrastructure² and boosting inter-connectivity among Belt and Road countries.

"The Belt and Road initiative enhances the inter-connectivity and expansion of many overland transportation routes between Europe and China. This guarantees a stable, constant operation of rail transportation between the two sides, and trains traveling from China to Europe will not need to change routes as before," says Kruger.

Kruger notes rail routes linking Europe and China also boost trade and economic ties between the two sides.

He says countries and regions along the rail lines should also be able to reap the fruits of global economic development by expanding the rail network along the Silk Road Economic Belt.

"People from Belt and Road countries should be able to get access to more specific projects so that new impetus³ can be injected into the Silk Road to make it more vibrant⁴. The Belt and Road Initiative should be a common goal among people not only from China, but also other parts of the world," says Kruger.

The ever-expanding China-Europe freight train services are breathing new life into the ancient Silk Road.

One of the first lines was the YuXinOu, or Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway, launched in 2011, linking Chongqing and Duisburg.

The route takes only a dozen of days to reach the German city from Chongqing, compared to ship transportation, which takes 36 days.

The transportation costs for services on the rail line are only 20 percent of the money spent transporting goods by air.

Gan Yuchen with the YUXINOU Logistics' branch in Germany says rail transportation is becoming more and more acceptable among German customers.

"At first, our German customers were not accustomed to such a new transportation method, since they are not familiar with its efficiency, costs and stability. But after operation for a few years, more and more customers are willing to accept rail transportation, since it costs less money than planes and takes less time than ships," says Gan.

The customers using the rail route to transport goods include not only large, but also small and medium sized companies.

Trains traveling on this line have also been helping⁵ German logistics firm Deutsche Post deliver mail and parcels to China since October.

The China-Europe freight rail services have made around 14,000 trips since 2011.

6300 trains made the journey along the routes last year, 72 percent growth compared to the previous year.

1 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。