NANNING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Cargo volume on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor surged 76.9 percent year on year to 746,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first six months of this year, according to the China Railway Nanning Group.

Cargo flow along the corridor hit a new record by reaching the 700,000 TEU mark on June 20, 125 days earlier than it did last year. As an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative, it has been playing a key role in connecting China's landlocked western regions to global markets.

A new intermodal transport model was introduced on March 25, when a freight train carrying 200 vehicles from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality arrived at Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for direct transfer to an ocean vessel bound for Dubai's Jebel Ali Port. This first-time use of a "JSQ-type freight train combining a roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel" solution created a new export path for vehicles from Chongqing.

The corridor also launched integrated rail-sea logistics packages this year, reducing shippers' need to coordinate separately with multiple carriers across different transport segments, and enabling full cargo tracking to boost efficiency and lower costs.

The corridor now operates 14 fixed train routes connecting Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi and Zhanjiang Port in neighboring Guangdong Province to major inland hubs including Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang, Lanzhou, Huaihua and Xi'an. Goods transported through the trade corridor via intermodal rail-sea service now cover 1,236 categories, 79 more than a year earlier, spanning electronics, vehicles and auto parts, machinery, household appliances, and food.  ■