Railway departments in China and Kazakhstan have collaborated to improve China-Europe freight train services, aiming to build it as a pivotal trade route between Europe and Asia, bolstered by the growing synergy between China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Kazakhstan's "Bright Road" economic policy in recent years.
Kazakhstan is one of the first countries to support the BRI and also a key transit country for the China-Europe freight train route. Since this year, China and Kazakhstan's railway departments have initiated regular meetings at different levels to strengthen daily online and offline communication and collaboration. They exchange daily reports on train numbers and types to ensure the smooth operation of the trains.
Currently, the railway department of Xinjiang, a provincial-level region in northwest China with the largest number of land ports in the country, is using a digital rail program and collaborating with customs and border inspection departments to streamline the transshipment of China-Europe freight trains and facilitate customs clearance, which enhances railway transport services.
"Our station reserves tracks in advance to ensure uninterrupted train operations. We also make coordinated efforts with customs and other departments to streamline procedures like inspections and customs clearance. This has accelerated outbound train turnover and shortened outbound customs clearance to less than five hours while speeding up the inbound cargo transfer process by four hours," said Yang Rui, deputy director of production safety command center at the Alashankou station, a crucial hub connecting China with Central Asia and Europe.
In recent years, the number of China-Europe freight train services has steadily risen. These trains now reach 223 cities in 25 European countries, linking over 100 cities across 11 Asian countries. This extensive network has made the China-Europe freight train a crucial trade route bridging Asia and Europe.
China, Kazakhstan double down on Eurasia unimpeded cargo passage
China, Kazakhstan double down on Eurasia unimpeded cargo passage
