Rail Transport Strengthens duisport as a European Hub in China Trade

Around 40 trains operate weekly between China and duisport. After the Corona crisis began in the Wuhan region, trains from there to Duisburg are now running again.

(Duisburg, 14.04.2020) The freight traffic from China is significantly increasing again: Together with NRW Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Düsseldorf, Feng Haiyang, and Dr. Roland Pütz, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Duisburg, duisport CEO Erich Staake welcomed one of the first freight trains from Wuhan after the outbreak of the Corona pandemic at the Hutchison Ports Duisburg site (formerly DeCeTe).

China’s industrial production is returning to its former strength after the containment of the Corona epidemic. For about two months, the metropolis of Wuhan, which has been a partner city of Duisburg since 1982, as well as the entire province of Hubei, were sealed off for goods and passenger traffic. Wuhan is considered the starting point of the global Corona pandemic.

The Port of Duisburg was also affected by the consequences of the massive restrictions in the province of Hubei and had to record a significant decline in freight traffic from China and other Asian countries, such as South Korea, especially in March.

About 40 trains are now operating weekly again between Duisburg and various destinations in China. During the Corona crisis in China, there were noticeable declines here. Half of the sea traffic with China came to a standstill in the meantime. However, since the lifting of the lockdowns, China’s economy has been picking up speed again.

“The outbreak of the Corona pandemic has hit our country hard. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that everyday life will slowly return. The resumption of intercontinental rail traffic from the province of Hubei is an important building block and a reliable option for industry and trade. We rely on our strong connections to duisport as a significant logistics hub in Central Europe,” says Feng Haiyang, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Düsseldorf.
Freight traffic from the affected region of Wuhan resumed
“After 76 days of isolation, the exit ban in the city of Wuhan was lifted on March 24. The end of the lockdown in this city, which has been so severely affected by the Corona crisis, also has symbolic significance. We all know that the Corona crisis will still accompany us in North Rhine-Westphalia as in China. The fight against the virus is not over yet, but the fact that rail traffic between Asia and Europe is functioning smoothly again is a good sign of normalization,” explained Hendrik Wüst, Transport Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“Soon we will have reached the old level of goods exchange with China again. The Port of Duisburg is indeed feeling the effects of the pandemic with some delay, but I expect clear catch-up effects in the China business,” explains duisport CEO Erich Staake. “Already in the second half of April, we expect a significantly increased volume of goods, and we are responding as the duisport group with increased terminal capacities and short-term storage solutions. Our network works even in times of crisis,” adds Staake.
Photo/Image Caption: Social distancing during Corona times: Dr. Roland Pütz, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Duisburg; Erich Staake, CEO of the duisport group; Hendrik Wüst, Transport Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia; Feng Haiyang, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Düsseldorf at the Hutchison Ports Duisburg site (formerly DeCeTe) I © duisport / dws Werbeagentur GmbH
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