The first direct China train of DB Schenker to Italy is to arrive in Verona this Wednesday. It connects the North-Italian city with Xi’an in Central China, carrying energy products, automotive and industrial parts. The train left the Chinese city on 13 August.

On 28 August the first blocktrain from China will arrive in Verona, but is certainly not the last. A second blocktrain on the same line leaves today, Monday 26 august. Moreover, the service works in eastward direction as well. On 15 and 29 September the blocktrain heads to Xi’an, DB Schenker said.

Fast, reliable

The westbound train caters to the demand of certain solar projects in Italy, while the eastbound service carries agricultural products to the Chinese city. The long-term plan of the German-based carrier is to set up a weekly westbound and eastbound train.

“Due to limited capacity of rail tracks from Malaszewicze (Poland) to Verona, a total of 37 40ft containers is carried by the train on this part of the route”, a spokesperson of the company explained. However, the route via the Polish-Belarusian border is the fastest (15 days) and the most stable at the moment. It has therefore opted for this traditional route, rather than transit through, for example, Ukraine.