APL’s Eagle Express X (EXX) service is going the extra mile with the new EXX RailFlash from Los Angeles to Chicago, Memphis, Dallas and Kansas City. Promising an express rail transfer from the US West Coast, EXX RailFlash is set to deliver every EXX shipment from China to the US inland at least four days sooner than a typical ocean and land transit combined. With this new offering, APL participates in the CMA CGM Group’s ambition to offer its customers a complete and global transport solution through the development of land-based services.
“With EXX RailFlash, the X-factor of our EXX service goes one notch up as we deliver import cargoes farther and faster to four key destinations across the US. Designed for an expeditious domestic relay that follows the fast 11-day Shanghai-Los Angeles ocean leg, EXX RailFlash will significantly shave off days of inland cargo transits from Los Angeles,” said Jesper Stenbak, Senior Vice President of APL Trans-Pacific Trade.
An EXX shipment from Shanghai that goes on the EXX RailFlash will arrive in Chicago in 16 days, versus a regular 23 to 30-day ocean and land transportation. 15 days is all it will take for an EXX shipment from Ningbo to reach Kansas City, instead of a typical 20 to 27 days ocean and land transit. During a time when the Port of Los Angeles or Long Beach is congested, EXX RailFlash potentially takes even more days off.
Behind the seamless connectivity from the fast ocean leg to the express rail transfer would be the same day cargo availability of EXX shipments on dedicated chassis at the Fenix Marine Services terminal in Los Angeles, combined with immediate drayage of EXX containers to the dedicated off-dock rail ramp. In fact, APL has been consistently delivering above expectations with 99% of the containers on chassis and available for collection within just 12 hours of vessel discharge when the vessel arrived at the terminal each week.
Truckers who are picking up EXX containers get priority access into the terminal via EXX-dedicated bobtail gates. They have experienced an average truck turn time of about 25 minutes, versus a 90-minute average recorded by the industry in Los Angeles and Long Beach. The same efficiency can be expected for US inland-bound EXX cargo to an off-dock rail facility for domestic transfer onboard the EXX RailFlash.
Stenbak elaborated, “APL’s EXX service is characterised by its proven performance in speed, timeliness and white glove service. The service does not only secure shippers guaranteed equipment and vessel space at the Chinese load ports, but also reliable fast China-US West Coast ocean transit. With EXX RailFlash, we sure up inland freight capacity and reliability of our EXX cargo, navigating the North American equipment and transportation crunch.”
