MAT's landbridge to Japan
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THE advantage that rail has over road where long distances are involved has been graphically demonstrated by international road hauliers/ container operator MAT (Transport) Ltd who recently made the headlines pioneering, as far as Britain is concerned. the Asian "landbridge" to and from Japan.
Following protracted and complicated experiments with non-standard units. MAT brought its first 20-ft ISO container into England recently using the overland route (except for a short ferry trip across the Sea of Japan from Yokohama to Nakhodka, near Vladivostok) via the Trans-Siberian Railway to Moscow, and rail systems of Eastern and Western Europe. The overland route can save up to 20 days over the traditional all-water route via the Cape of Good Hope or through the Panama Canal. Savings in cost to the importer or exporter can be as much as 30 per cent, taking inventory and packaging costs into account.