(Yicai) Dec. 22 -- The western passage of China's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor between Chengdu and the Port of Beibu Gulf will likely become operational in five years, becoming the fastest and most cost-efficient route.

A path connecting Xuyong county in Sichuan province and Bijie in Guizhou province opened yesterday, marking the completion of the rail link between Longchang and Huangtong. Construction on a railroad between Huangtong and Baise in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region started on Dec. 8 and is scheduled to wrap up in five years. 

The Longchang-Huangtong Railway has a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour, with the figure for the Huangtong-Baise Railway set at 160 kph. The two are mainly for freight, but passenger services will be considered. After completion, the distance from southwest China to the Port of Beibu Gulf in Guangxi will likely be shortened by at least 300 km. 

The National Development and Reform Commission first introduced the plan to build the corridor in August 2019, including two channels from Chongqing and one from Chengdu to the Port of Beibu Gulf. The three routes operate using existing railroads and lack transport capacity, so building the Longchang-Huangtong Railway and the Huangtong-Baise Railway is aimed at plugging key gaps in the western leg. 

Eighteen sea-rail intermodal transport lines operate along the new western corridor, connecting Central Europe, Central Asia, and the southern sea entrance. Journeys on the lines surged to 8,820 last year from 178 in 2017. 

Benefiting from the corridor's freight services, the Port of Beibu Gulf's cargo throughput rose 11.2 percent to over 28 kilotons in the 11 months ended Nov. 30 from a year earlier. The port handled 7.2 million twenty-feet equivalent units, up 15.8 percent, the biggest growth among major Chinese ports. 

Editors: Zhang Yushuo, Martin Kadiev