METRANS launched the first eastbound train from the Dunajská Streda terminal in Slovakia towards Xi’an in China. The train was organised in cooperation with GEFCO for Budiš, a Slovak mineral spring brand, to transport pure mineral infant water to China.

On 18 November, the train carrying 41 TEUs of infant water left Dunajská Streda to travel a distance of 10,000 kilometres to China. It follows the route via Poland and Belarus and will need 25 days to arrive in Xi’an. From Xi’an, bottled infant water will be distributed across China.

Commitment on trains

For Budiš, the Slovak shipper, this is the first time exporting its products to China. However, this is the starting point of a long-term commitment to only use trains for China exports from now on. After all, with the train service organised by METRANS and GEFCO, the exported products will reach their final destination a month earlier compared to other shipping methods.

In combination with the high-tech monitoring and information sharing techniques used on the train, the partners will also make sure that the sensitive product used for infants nutrition will reach its destination safely and in good condition.

On top of that, the shipper will use a cleaner route in terms of CO2 emissions. That is so because METRANS uses electric locomotives for the biggest part of the route, while GEFCO offsets the remaining CO2 emissions by investing in green projects.

Also read:

• GEFCO’s first carbon-neutral train is more than you think
• Metrans trains between Hungary and Romania are on the move
• METRANS: our German network is growing