China-Europe freight trains have made a cumulative 120,000 trips and transported goods with a total value exceeding 490 billion U.S. dollars, the China State Railway Group Co. (China Railway) said on Friday.
The 120,000-trip milestone was achieved with the departure of a freight train on Friday from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, heading to Poland, according to China Railway, China's railway operator.
So far, 128 Chinese cities operate China-Europe freight train services. A total of 94 routes with scheduled speed at 120 km/h run across the western, central and eastern corridors in China, exiting and entering the country via six border ports of Alashankou (Alataw Pass), Khorgos, Erenhot, Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang, and linking hundreds of cities across Eurasia, providing a strong boost to economic and social development along the routes.
"The network now reaches 232 cities across 26 European countries, as well as over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, basically covering the whole Eurasia, forming a diversified pattern of northern, central and southern corridors. Since the southern corridor began regular operations, cargo volumes have risen steadily, with 371 trains running from January to October, up 33 percent year on year," said Wang Yanbo, Deputy Director of the General Cargo Logistics Department at China State Railway Group Logistics Center.
The service has continued to expand in both scale and efficiency, tightening economic links among participating countries and delivering more goods to more destinations.
To date, China-Europe Railway Express freight trains transport 53 categories of commodities, covering more than 50,000 different types, with high-value-added products like automobiles and auto parts, machinery, and electronics becoming China's dominant exports.
"The product transported via the railway express has expanded from household goods and home appliances to cross-border e-commerce goods and cold-chain fresh food, along with innovative models such as 'dual-zone linkage,' 'rail express fast clearance,' and 'bonded zone + rail service,'" said Ye Zhangnan, Manager of the Ganzhou International Port Business Department under China Railway Nanchang Group.
To further improve efficiency, Xi'an has introduced a full-schedule service across the Chinese section, broad-gauge section, and European section in 2022, which has undergone a fourth expansion recently. It now covers nine cities in China and six in Europe, reducing overall travel time by more than 30 percent on average.
From 2013 to 2024, the value of goods transported by the China-Europe Railway Express increased about 33 times, lifting its share in China-Europe trade from 0.4 percent to 8.5 percent. In the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, 32 domestic and international routes are now in operation, reaching 54 cities in 23 SCO or BRI member countries.
"The China-Europe Railway Express has become the core of an integrated international logistics corridor, serving more than 7,000 foreign-trade enterprises, promoting coordinated development of the railway and competitive local industries, and promoting the full industrial chain from international transport to warehousing and distribution," said Xiu Chaokui from the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area.
China-Europe Railway Express hits 120,000-trip milestone
