The Dongjia town branch of the Jinan Railway Logistics Center serves as the departure station for the China-Europe (Jinan–Qingdao) assembly center. Through a comprehensive digital upgrade, the modern railway logistics hub is evolving into a smart facility capable of thinking, sensing, and self-operating.

An intelligent, integrated "air–ground–cloud" system has significantly streamlined operations. Smart access control has cut container truck entry times from five minutes to just 20 seconds. Drivers can now locate containers quickly through a mobile app powered by Beidou satellite positioning, guiding them directly to their assigned containers.

Automation also plays a key role across the site. Autonomous drones equipped with thermal and high-definition cameras carry out real-time inspections, identifying car numbers and checking container conditions with greater speed and accuracy.

On the ground, intelligent guided vehicles have replaced conventional trucks for short-distance transfers and can transport up to 80 containers on a single charge. Meanwhile, robots conduct inspections during the loading process, saving an average of 150 minutes of shunting time each day.

All operations are coordinated through a centralized digital platform that integrates key data onto a single interface, managing processes from customer declarations and security checks to the real-time monitoring of loading zones.

A drone performs regular inspections, using thermal and high-definition cameras to monitor the railway logistics hub. [Photo/WeChat account: chineserailways]

An intelligent vehicle transfers containers in the hub. [Photo/WeChat account: chineserailways]

An automated robot conducts load and balance inspections during the loading process. [Photo/WeChat account: chineserailways]