Thailand's Eastern Sea Laem Chabang Terminal Co., Ltd. (ESCO) celebrated its first rail containerised shipment between the country's Khon Kaen Province and Laem Chabang Port via the Tha Phra rail cargo terminal on 8 June 2022, covering a total distance of more than 500km. ESCO provided a full suite of services for customers, including overall coordination, empty container pick-up from depot, loading and unloading of the containers from the train, delivery to factory as well as storage at the rail cargo terminal.

Located in Thailand's north-eastern province of Khon Kaen, the Tha Phra rail cargo terminal was established to develop the province as a logistics centre and a rail transportation hub connecting 7 of the country's north-eastern provinces to Laem Chabang. Khon Kaen's main industry is agriculture, producing commodities such as rice and sugar for both domestic consumption and exports.

ESCO has been one of the rail cargo terminal's 4 operators since 2021. ESCO has been actively collaborating with stakeholders to promote the usage of the rail terminal as a more sustainable and cost-effective mode of cargo transport and its efforts have gradually gained traction.

ESCO President Lee Siak Quee said, "The commencement of operations in Tha Phra will provide convenient and sustainable rail transport solutions to customers in the region. Additionally, it also has the potential to facilitate efficient cross border trade by connecting to China via the newly established Laos-China railway. ESCO is honoured to work alongside our partners and customers to co-create bespoke and green cargo solutions initiatives to build resilient and sustainable supply chains!"