Freight train service between China and Europe setting new records
April 20, 2021 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
The freight train service between China and Europe is developing fast. From January to March, 3,345 freight train trips were conducted between China and Europe, a year-on-year increase of 70%. They carried 317,000 containers, up 79%, according to the China State Railway Group, the national railway operator. By January, the country had seen more than 1,000 such trips for the ninth consecutive month, the group said. In 2011, when the service began, only 17 trips were made. The freight train service has played a significant role in stabilizing industrial chains, facilitating China-Europe trade and supporting the global battle against the coronavirus. Major railway ports including the Erenhot land port in Inner Mongolia and the Khorgos land port in Xinjiang have expanded their capacities, adding more facilities for loading and unloading and opening more cross-border train tracks.
Representatives from transportation organizations and businesses from countries operating the freight train services have held three video conferences since last year to discuss international cooperation, ensuring punctuality of the service and aiming to establish a safe, stable and effective international logistics channel. By February, the trains had delivered 9.97 million epidemic prevention and control items – including protective masks and medical supplies – weighing 80,000 metric tons to Germany, Poland, Belgium and other countries. Last year, a record of 12,400 freight train trips were made between China and Europe, a year-on-year growth of 50%. They carried 1.14 million containers, up 56% from 2019.
The China-Europe freight train service, considered to be a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has boosted trade between China and participating countries. Last month, the blocking of the Suez Canal led to the increase of inquiries about the China-Europe freight train service as an alternative means of transport. The outbound service starts in many cities in China such as Yiwu in Zhejiang province and Chengdu in Sichuan province, leaves the country via the land ports in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, passes through Russia and central Asian countries and arrives in western Europe. The journey usually takes about two weeks, but it is cheaper than air freight and faster than maritime services. While the maritime and air freight capacities have been affected by the pandemic, the freight train service has expanded its market.
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