GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 10, 2026
Intercontinental Rail Freight
A freight forwarder books a rail-to-rail shipment from Shanghai to Rotterdam: cargo travels by Chinese state railway to Kazakhstan, potentially transfers between rail gauges (1520 mm in Russia/Kazakhstan versus 1435 mm in Europe), undergoes Russian customs inspection and border procedures, is transloaded onto European standard gauge, and reaches destination.
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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_freight_transport
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A freight forwarder books a rail-to-rail shipment from Shanghai to Rotterdam: cargo travels by Chinese state railway to Kazakhstan, potentially transfers between rail gauges (1520 mm in Russia/Kazakhstan versus 1435 mm in Europe), undergoes Russian customs inspection and border procedures, is transloaded onto European standard gauge, and reaches destination. This mode saves time versus all-sea routing but demands expertise in national railway regulations (RZD, KTZ, DB), customs instruments (TIR, SMGS waybill), and gauge-change logistics. Cost competitiveness depends on load factors and clearance efficiency.
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