Recently, a freight train fully loaded with coal arrived at the Liangshan Port Area in Jining Port, Shandong. The cargo was unloaded into an underground corridor by a dumper, then transported via conveyor belts to the dock, where a ship loader promptly transferred the bulk coal onto waiting vessels. The loaded ships then depart Liangshan Port, heading south along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. This scene showcases the seamless transfer operations enabled by the convergence of the Wari Railway and the Grand Canal.
It is reported that the port area connects to the Wari Railway, a major artery for transporting coal from west to east, via a dedicated rail line. Leveraging an intelligent unloading and loading system, it achieves a seamless transfer of coal from train to ship, establishing itself as a crucial port hub linking the energy-rich regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia with the Yangtze River Delta. In the first quarter of this year, the port's total throughput reached 11 million tonnes, reducing comprehensive logistics costs by over 30%.
How has Liangshan Port, situated away from major rivers or the coast, become a significant inland port in northern China? A look at the map reveals its strategic position: located on the right bank of the Liangji Canal, a mere 1.8 kilometers from the Wari Railway, it sits precisely at the intersection of the railway and the Grand Canal. This location connects upstream to the energy hinterlands of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia and downstream to the vital economic belt of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shanghai, shouldering the strategic tasks of moving coal from west to east and north to south, and goods from south to north.
"This area was once a waterlogged depression, with the channel impassable when dry," recalled Kong Zekai, Deputy Director of the Liangshan Port Area Office. The port excavated a 17.5-kilometer channel and built a 9.18-kilometer dedicated railway line, creating a "丰"-shaped multimodal transport corridor and establishing this "golden coordinate" on the Wari Railway and the Grand Canal.
Today, the port houses the first smart operations center and a smart railway system among China's inland river ports, enabling intelligent management of the entire production, dispatching, and operational process. Its single-span steel structure coal storage shed, the largest of its kind in Asia, can store 900,000 tonnes of coal. Connected to eight storage silos and a rapid train loading station behind it, the facility allows for quick loading of trains with coal retrieved from the port area. The intelligent unloading facility for 10,000-tonne trains is equipped with two double-side rotary dumpers, capable of unloading two railcars simultaneously in just four minutes. Operating together, these two dumpers can handle between 65,000 and 70,000 tonnes of coal per day.
Since commencing operations, Liangshan Port has continuously expanded its scope. Its trade categories have gradually diversified from solely coal handling to include steel, iron ore, grain, timber, and more. It has developed an integrated port-trade-finance model, implementing coordinated development across "port-to-port, port-to-trade, port-to-finance, port-to-shipping, and port-to-warehouse" activities. In April this year, the port's monthly throughput reached 4.0082 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 22.7%. Currently, the port operates 26 container shipping routes to destinations including Wuhan, Taicang, and Nanjing, connecting with over 50 major ports along rivers and the coast, with its business network covering more than 100 cities nationwide.
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