Baosteel Zhanjiang opens its own rail line

A Baosteel Zhanjiang's dedicated train carrying more than 1,600 tons of steel products leaves Donghai Island for Chongqing municipality and Fujian province on Feb 6. [Photo by Liang Qingsong/Zhanjiang Daily]

A freight train carrying more than 1,600 tons of steel products left Donghai Island for Chongqing municipality and Fujian province on Feb 6, marking the official opening of Baosteel Zhanjiang's dedicated rail line.

With a total investment of 690 million yuan ($110 million), the east-west railway came under construction in December 2016. Not until a few days earlier had it passed the reviews and safety evaluation to be qualified for services.

Baosteel Zhanjiang produces 9.2 million tons of iron, 10 million tons of steel and 9.38 million tons of rolled steel annually. [Photo by Wang Jianguo/Zhanjiang Daily]

The 1.9-kilometer rail line means that Baosteel Zhanjiang will no longer need to rely on trucks to transport its cargo to the Nanning Railway Administration's cargo transfer station. Instead, raw materials destined for the enterprise can now be delivered directly by rail, allowing Southwest Chinese consumers to receive the products at a much lower cost.

As a subsidiary of Baosteel Group, China's largest steelmaker, Baosteel Zhanjiang produces 9.2 million tons of iron, 10 million tons of steel and 9.38 million tons of rolled steel annually, which are sold worldwide to countries such as India and Spain.