The Shuohuang Railway has reported that its freight volume for the first half of the year reached 190 million tonnes, exceeding the scheduled target by 1.882 million tonnes and representing a year-on-year increase of 9.939 million tonnes. This figure accounts for 50.1% of the annual target, indicating the halfway mark for total transportation volume has been surpassed.

Non-coal freight volume reached 11.2675 million tonnes, exceeding the annual plan by 67,500 tonnes. Notably, self-operated non-coal volume stood at 1.7168 million tonnes, surpassing the target by 316,800 tonnes and achieving the halfway goal for non-coal transportation ahead of schedule.

Shuohuang Railway Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Energy Investment Corporation, stated that the concurrent over-fulfillment of these two core indicators demonstrates the effective implementation of the group's "coal-based, logistics synergy" strategy along this major west-to-east coal transport corridor. It marks a phased achievement in transforming the corridor from a single-energy heavy-haul route into a comprehensive multimodal logistics hub.

In the first half, the railway's freight turnover reached 103.73 billion tonne-kilometers, exceeding the schedule by 2.5% and increasing 6% year-on-year. Multiple operational records were set in transportation organization, including a daily record of 38 loaded trains received at Shengang Station, 239 empty trains dispatched from Shenchi South, and a monthly volume of 2.39 million tonnes on the Huangda Line, all reaching historical highs.

The simultaneous improvement in transport capacity organization and construction support efficiency has freed up sufficient physical capacity for expanding diversified freight business. Leveraging the incremental carrying capacity unlocked from the transportation chain, Shuohuang Railway has moved beyond the limitations of traditional one-way coal transport.

It is concurrently advancing market development for non-coal cargo, utilizing two-way reciprocal freight flows to fill the gap of empty return trips, thereby implementing the group's comprehensive logistics transformation plan.

The company reported that by implementing a large-scale crew rotation model across the entire line and dynamically adjusting locomotive routing, the full locomotive turnaround time was reduced by 0.6 hours year-on-year, and car cycle time was shortened by 0.01 days.

Construction and transportation planning were optimized in tandem through an innovative "extend sections, increase time, coordinate for efficiency" management model. Measures such as customized train flow control for each window and joint inspection/repair mechanisms at ports and stations were implemented.

In the first half, the track possession (maintenance window) fulfillment rate reached 99.87%, and construction plan fulfillment reached 99.94%. Freight volume during maintenance windows increased by 57,000 tonnes year-on-year, a 7% rise. This series of optimizations in transport organization and construction control continues to unlock the line's existing capacity.

Following the enhancement of transport capacity, the company is simultaneously advancing the adjustment of its cargo structure, with a core focus on revitalizing idle return-trip capacity as a key market-driven source expansion strategy.

An official from the freight operations department of the company's logistics subsidiary explained that heavy-haul corridors in the industry have long suffered from the shortcoming of one-way transportation. On west-to-east coal routes, trains are fully loaded on the outbound leg but return empty, limiting asset utilization and tying operational profits closely to coal market cycles.

The core concept of Shuohuang Railway's large-scale logistics layout is to establish a "west coal east transport, north cargo south transfer, two-way reciprocal flow" logistics pattern. This involves filling return-trip capacity with non-coal cargo to create a pendulum-style transport system, thereby spreading fixed operation and maintenance costs and smoothing out performance volatility caused by coal industry cycles.

The official detailed that the company has established a quarterly cargo sourcing routine research mechanism to stabilize mature sources like iron ore powder, steel, and fuel oil, while simultaneously exploring cross-regional transport markets around the Bohai Rim.

New channels for oil product transport and Lan charcoal into Shandong have been established. Regular fuel oil block trains now operate on the Huangda Railway, forming a complete "port-railway-refining park" logistics chain. Steel intermodal transport via rail at Dingzhou West continues to increase, and stable shipments of construction materials within the network directly support infrastructure material supply for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Xiong'an New Area.

Network synergy is a crucial support for releasing incremental capacity. Multiple new incremental channels have been opened, including the Ningwu Xuyang crossing, the Lixian Power Plant dedicated line, and the Dongying Port diversion route.

In late May, the company opened a new channel for coal transfer and shipment via Dongying Port, enhancing the Bohai Rim port-rail intermodal network. A domestically pioneered flexible traction power supply system for heavy-haul railways was put into operation, recovering regenerative braking energy from trains and saving an average of 42,000 kWh of electricity per day.

The multi-faceted improvements at the network and equipment levels have removed hardware barriers for the cross-regional flow of non-coal goods, providing the foundational conditions for the stable operation of the two-way reciprocal logistics model.

The official further noted that traditional heavy-haul lines primarily serve energy supply, resulting in a singular business structure. Currently, with road transport of bulk goods for industries like steel, refining, and construction facing restrictions, significant market space exists for a shift from road to rail.

By adopting two-way reciprocal multimodal transport, the company handles cargo like imported ore powder from port areas, inland steel, and construction materials. This not only revitalizes idle return-trip capacity but also helps the real economy reduce logistics costs.

From a transaction structure perspective, non-coal business has already formed a stable source of incremental support. The significant over-fulfillment of self-operated non-coal volume proves the effective, market-driven source expansion mechanism is in place, reducing reliance on the company's own coal sources.

Under this diversified cargo sourcing layout, the line's risk resilience continues to strengthen. Even if the coal market experiences periodic fluctuations, transportation volumes from categories like steel, oil products, and construction materials can hedge against total volume shortfalls, ensuring the smooth completion of annual freight targets.

Shuohuang Railway Development Co., Ltd. is primarily responsible for the construction and operation of the Shuohuang, Huangwan, and Huangda railways, with a total operating mileage of 889 kilometers and an annual transport capacity of 380 million tonnes.

It is one of the shortest, most optimal, and most economical transport routes connecting western China to the eastern coast, serving Xiong'an New Area, and integrating into the Bohai Rim Economic Circle. The company is an important subsidiary of China Energy Investment Corporation.