COSCO Shipping Ports has opened China’s first dedicated railway running directly into an automated container terminal at Xiamen port, eliminating an off-dock trucking leg from sea-rail cargo movements, according to COSCO Shipping Group.
The 1,586-metre line entered service at Xiamen Ocean Gate Terminal in Fujian province on 29 July. The first freight train departed carrying 35 containers.
The railway extends into the terminal’s main operating area and ends 70 metres from the quay, replacing the previous train-yard-vessel process with a direct connection between trains and ships.
Rail-bound containers previously had to be moved by truck to a freight station about 20 kilometres from the terminal. Removing the intermediate transfer is expected to reduce total logistics costs per container by more than 15% and shorten transport times by two to three days.
The facility has four automated rail-mounted gantry cranes and three parallel loading tracks. Its systems identify container numbers, locate rail wagons and support remotely controlled handling, while a shared information platform coordinates vessel arrivals, terminal operations and train departures.
The configuration allows containers to transfer between the terminal and railway in nine minutes across the 70-metre handling area. The line has designed annual capacity of 250,000 TEU and 250,000 tonnes of breakbulk and general cargo. It connects 21 deepsea services, including routes to Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with inland rail corridors serving Jiangxi, Hubei and Chengdu.
COSCO Shipping Ports is the port operating arm of COSCO Shipping Group and managed 387 berths at 40 ports worldwide as of 31 December 2025, including 238 container berths, with annual container handling capacity of about 133m TEU.
COSCO Shipping Group is the parent shipping group of COSCO Shipping Ports. Xiamen Ocean Gate Terminal became a wholly owned subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Ports after the acquisition of the remaining 30% interest was completed in February 2023.