Beijing (TDI): A significant milestone was reached in cross-border trade on Friday morning as a freight train left Chongqing in Southwest China bound for Duisburg, Germany, marking the 100,000th trip for the China-Europe freight train network.
This development underscores the increasing role of rail transport in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), fostering stronger trade ties between Asia and Europe.
Since its inception, China-Europe freight trains have transported over 11 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods, valued at more than $420 billion, according to China State Railway Group Co.
These trains now facilitate the movement of more than 50,000 types of goods across 53 product categories, with a growing share of high-tech and high-value items, reflecting an evolution toward more sophisticated trade.
To meet rising demand, the network recently introduced express routes.
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An express line launched from Chengdu last June operates at speeds of up to 120 km/h, reducing the transit time to Europe by five days, to just 10 days.
“This service is particularly suited for high-value goods like lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, with no extra cost,” said Guan Yu, Manager of the International Transport Department of China Railway Container Transport Co’s Chengdu branch.
Each carriage is fitted with an e-lock to allow real-time tracking and coordinated monitoring by Chinese and foreign railway bureaus to ensure timely arrivals.
The benefits of the network extend to various industries, such as the import of French wines through the Chengdu-Eurasia National (Commodity) Pavilion, said Shi Ruifeng, founder of the pavilion’s French division.
Each imported bottle carries a QR code for traceability, and the efficiency and speed of rail transport have helped streamline customs and stabilise the wine import process.
Promising Growth in Trade
The network’s two-way trade capacity has also shown promising growth, with a steady rise in the return cargo ratio, a sign of maturing trade routes and China’s growing role in international logistics planning, Global Times reported.
The China-Europe freight train service now operates 93 scheduled routes at 120 km/h across China’s vast railway network, connecting 125 domestic cities with 227 destinations across 25 European countries and 100 cities across 11 Asian nations, covering nearly the entire Eurasian landmass.
Between 2016 and 2023, the network saw a tenfold increase in annual trips, surging from 1,702 to over 17,000.
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Over the same period, the value of goods transported rose from $8 billion to $56.7 billion, with 2024 already surpassing $58 billion.
The China-Europe freight train service has positioned itself as a crucial artery for trade, linking inland and coastal regions and promoting balanced economic development across China.
