Rail chaos fears after Chinese firms told to ditch polluting trucks
Companies scrambling to organise freight by rail after orders to curb the use of diesel trucks in the winter to help ease air pollution
Thousands of small factories in China, making everything from steel to chemicals, are scrambling for access to the country’s clogged rail network as Beijing curbs the use of diesel trucks in an effort to tackle air pollution.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection last month gave tens of thousands of companies in 28 cities until November 1 to halve their use of diesel trucks over the winter months when pollution is at its worst.
The ministry, in a policy document, also set more stringent, permanent targets for more than 20 power and steel companies, including Zhengzhou Xinli Power, Xingtai Iron & Steel and Hebei Risun Coke, directing them to send at least half their shipments by rail.
Trucking is a cheaper and preferred mode of transport for heavy industry in China, especially for inland companies moving goods over relatively short distances and those far from railways.
Some provinces have taken even tougher stances on trucks.
In Hebei and central Henan, some steel producers must deliver as much as 90 per cent of their products via rail on a permanent basis, up from about 50 to 60 per cent currently.
