The first phase of a new rail container terminal in Chongqing’s Shapingba district has opened for business, reported Xinhua. This is the third of 18 planned rail container terminals in China and follows the opening of similar terminals in Shanghai and Kunming.

Construction on the terminal began in October 2007 and involved investment of Rmb770m. It covers an area of 151 hectares, 60 hectares of which are dedicated to container handling.

After completion of all phases, the terminal will have an annual capacity of 1.65m TEU, and will contain eight railway lines, two container yards and an area for reefer boxes. Phase one has an annual capacity of 480,000 TEU.