CHONGQING's Guoyuan terminal, said to be the largest river port offering river-rail-road intermodal service in China, has commenced operation and will later join the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe railway, Xinhua reports.

The CNY10.5 billion (US$1.72 billion) Guoyuan terminal is a third generation river port according to Chongqing government's development plan. Located in the Liangjiang New Area, the terminal will have sixteen 5,000-tonne berths with a 2,800-metre quay at full build-out.

It will have an annual capacity of two million TEU, six million tonnes of bulk cargo, one million ro-ro units, 30 million tonnes of cargo overall as well as 6.5 million tonnes of river-rail intermodal shipments.

The terminal currently has a capacity of 400,000 TEU, three million tonnes of bulk cargo and 500,000 ro-ro units. The rail track connecting the port to the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe railway will be finished by 2015, linking directly to the port area.

The Chongqing government said the Guoyuan terminal will be a distribution hub for the southwestern China, serving Sichuan, Yunan and Guizhou, while attracting freight from farther afield in the central and the eastern regions via the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe railway.