UPS announced the addition of a Full Container Load (FCL) rail solution to its China-to-Europe transportation lineup. The move is the latest in a series of expansions of UPS's worldwide forwarding services designed to offer customers more choices for shipping.

"Our customers are looking to UPS for ways to achieve their business objectives of reaching new markets and reducing costs," said Keith Andrey, UPS vice president of ocean freight and multimodal services. "We are excited to add our rail option for our customers in one of the world's largest freight lanes to complement our existing ocean and air freight and package capabilities. This gives customers access to a broader transportation portfolio to better meet their business needs."

UPS now offers the rail service from Chengdu, China, to Lodz, Poland, and from Zhengzhou, China, to Hamburg, Germany. Combining the rail movement with a truck network, UPS can provide service to customers throughout China and Europe. The new rail service is up to 50 percent faster than ocean freight and up to 70 percent less costly than air freight.

The new rail service is well-timed to meet the needs of customers looking to balance supply chains. According to a recent Seabury survey1, 71 percent of customers expect a moderate to strong shift to lower cost modes in the next 1-3 years.

The rail offering follows several enhancements in 2013 to UPS's multimodal express services, including the expansion of UPS Preferred Less-Than-Container Load (LCL) ocean freight service from Asia to Mexico and from Europe to the U.S. and Canada, and the introduction of UPS Worldwide Express Freight service to and from the UAE.