Disinfection system targets freight at Vietnam border

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, a disinfection system has been introduced at a border port of China and Vietnam in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to clean imported freight trains.

When a train passes through the border, the system－installed by local railway operator Nanning Railway Group－will automatically spray sanitizer on it. Consisting of 20 high-pressure spray nozzles, this system is the first "checkpoint" in China for virus-free passage of freight coming through the border.

As one of the channels connecting China and other economies, the China-Vietnam freight train service has played a crucial role in transporting goods between China and Southeast Asian countries, helping stabilize the international logistics supply chain amid the COVID-19 pandemic and injecting vitality into world's economic recovery.

Since this year began, two to five freight trains have been running between China and Vietnam every day. The longest train has 30 carriages with a length of about 400 meters, creating a great challenge for the disinfection process. Trains are required to slow down to 40 kilometers per hour while crossing the nozzle-equipped rails so that the spray can cover every carriage and container.

Based on the daily situation, staff members prepare sufficient disinfectant in advance and monitor the railways in real time to make sure the trains are properly sanitized.

"Nanning has intensified the disinfection of cross-border freight trains since the pandemic started. At the border, we have a set of equipment for spraying and disinfecting every train entering our country. After getting into the port, freight is transported to the warehouse, where our staff workers disinfect the loads for the second time to comply with epidemic prevention and control regulations," said Shi Haifu, head of the Pingxiang Railway Port Logistics Center in Pingxiang, Guangxi.

According to China Railway Container Transport, a subsidiary of the China State Railway Group, it is expected to operate 200 freight trains this year between Nanning, capital of Guangxi, and Hanoi, capital of Vietnam.

It takes three days for the freight trains to travel between the two cities. Trains traveling from Nanning to Hanoi are loaded with cargo including daily commodities, electronic components, mechanical equipment and photovoltaic products. The inbound trains from Hanoi to Nanning mainly carry goods including tropical fruits and mineral products.

Since the freight service launched between the two cities in 2018, the number of trips has increased each year, according to the company.

The service has been operating regularly since August 2019, with at least three one-way trips being made per week. To reduce travel time, the cross-border trains operate on a one-stop basis without the need to change carriages at the Pingxiang railway port, where the cargo can be inspected upon arrival.

Xu Tiange in Beijing and Luo Wenhong in Nanning contributed to this story.