Daqin railway, a major channel shipping coal from production areas to transfer ports in China, delivered 37.66 million tonnes of coal in November, soaring 64.45% on the year, according to operator Daqin Railway Co., Ltd.

 

The substantial year-on-year growth in November this year was mainly due to a low base in the same month last year, when transportation operations gradually restored from October's heavy downpours that severely hurt the line's shipping availability. 

 

 

The daily transport volume averaged 1.26 million tonnes in November, up 11.69% from October's 1.12 million tonnes. The railway operated 83.4 heavy-haul trains each day on average during the month, including 61.9 trains with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, it said.

 

 

Entering November, downstream users maintained high coal demand as temperatures went lower. To secure supply,  cargo shipments exceeded 1.28 million tonnes in 26 days over the month, data showed.

 

Daqin helps guarantee the coal needs of over 300 rail-supplied power plants nationwide by fully utilizing its shipping capacity.

 

China Railway Taiyuan Group Co., Ltd. focused on power plants with coal stocks below 20 days of coverage, prioritizing supplies to those plants with stocks less than 15 days of usage. It also strengthened coordination with coal enterprises.

 

From January to November 2023, total shipments of Daqin line amounted to 387.74 million tonnes, up 7.49% on the year, the highest in the past four years, the statement said.

 

 

Daqin railway operates approximately 90 heavy-haul trains per day and continues to increase the operation of 20,000-tonne trains to improve coal transport efficiency.

 

Hudong Electric Locomotive Depot in Datong of Shanxi has increased the number of drivers for 20,000-tonne trains from 600 to 650, providing strong support to coal transportation.

 

Based on the current shipping level, the annual transport volume on Daqin railway is expected to surpass 420 million tonnes, setting a new high since 2020.