I think I can, I think I can…
This kind of funding can help smooth out many logistical glitches along the way, but, as can be expected on a journey of more than 10,000 kilometers, there still are a few challenges to solve on these Silk Road tracks – not the least of which are the harsh weather conditions along the route.
“The winter weather can be tough in Siberia,” said van Doesburg of the ESC. “Minus-40 degrees can be a real problem for many sensitive goods. During the heart of winter, the Southern Route is also closed, so there’s only the Northern Route through Siberia.” Most containers manufactured today, he added, are equipped with thermal insulation and have active temperature control systems to prevent freezing.
Fortunately, the local authorities along the route are also well prepared for snow and cold. As Wieland said, the tracks are used more by passenger trains as a vital lifeline to travel between cities in Russia, so keeping them clear is a priority, no matter what. “If snow covers part of the tracks, they immediately remove it,” he said. “I’ve seen pictures of snow drifts of 5 to 7 meters high, but the tracks are always cleared.”
To help prevent problems with the bitter winter cold – as well as the steamy summers – Uti’s Lee said the company is considering implementing a “Smartbox” tracking system to monitor the status of the cargo in transit and report any “alarming situations” to designated customers in real time. Parameters could include humidity, temperature, location, acceleration, exposure to light and pressure, he added.
Besides the weather, there was another basic fact to contend with: the tracks between China, Russia and Europe don’t match up correctly. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have a wider rail track gauge (1,520 mm) than does China and Europe (1,435 mm). So, for every shipment, the trains are halted at the China-Kazakhstan, China-Russia and Belrus-Poland borders and the containers are all transferred onto new railcars with the correct gauge.
“With about 50 containers per train, the whole trans-shipment process takes about two to three hours each time,” Wieland said. Because agreements have been worked out between the countries through which the rail traffic is carried, the customs process is also speeded along. “At first, trains would have a huge pile of paper to process at each international border,” he said. “But today, the customs authorities have reduced the number of documents needed.”
Also, about that 50-car train: the rail operators would like to use longer trains to make the process more efficient, but there is a limit to how long freight trains can be in Europe. “Passenger traffic takes priority over freight trains [in Europe], so they sometimes have to be pulled to a side track,” Wieland explained. “To fit on this side track, the train has a limit to how many railcars you can operate.”