China-Europe freight train services reached a new milestone on November 28, with the total number of trips surpassing 120,000, as train X8086 from Chengdu, Sichuan province, arrived in Malaszewicze, Poland. With this latest trip, goods worth more than USD490 billion have been delivered over the years, reflecting the service’s expanding scale and improved quality. Launched in 2011, the services now connect 128 Chinese cities with 232 cities in 26 European countries, as well as more than 100 cities in 11 Asian nations. Multiple corridors and six major border gateways enable efficient east-west flows, forming a network that spans nearly the entire Eurasian landmass. Improved customs procedures, including the digital 95306 system, have reduced clearance times from hours to minutes. Steady improvements to railway infrastructure have raised combined daily handling capacity at the gateways to 184 train services.
For many companies, the railway has become a strategic logistics lifeline. Linglong Tire, one of China’s largest tire manufacturers and exporters, first turned to the trains in 2021 due to soaring ocean freight costs and unstable shipping schedules. “The sea transportation was unstable, with prices rocketing and space difficult to book. That gave us an opportunity to cooperate with the China-Europe freight train services,” said Pan Wenfeng, Manager of Linglong’s Inland Logistics Department. “For critical raw materials and equipment where time matters, we now choose the railway. Transit times are 50% faster than sea transport, greatly improving cash flow and enhancing our global competitiveness.” About 10% of the company’s exports are shipped via the China-Europe freight train services.
In Nankang district of Ganzhou, Jiangxi province – China’s “capital of solid wood furniture” – the freight trains have turned an inland manufacturing base into a global exporter. “Relying on the China-Europe freight train services, the transit time for timber on return trips has been cut to 12 days, 25 days faster than sea transport, and overall logistics costs have dropped by 18%,” said Ye Zhangnan, Manager of the Ganzhou office of the Nanchang Railway Logistics Center. Furniture manufacturers say the rail link has reshaped their global reach. “Furniture is bulky and heavy. Compared with sea or air transport, the China-Europe freight trains offer both speed and cost advantages,” said Wen Shitong, Manager of Fulong Crown Furniture, noting that inland exporters now ship more efficiently and reliably to overseas markets.
Foreign partners say the services are becoming indispensable. “The China-Europe freight train services provide customers with stable and fast transportation,” said Alona Toprak, Managing Director of DB Cargo Eurasia, a subsidiary of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn specializing in cross-border rail logistics for China, Central Asia and Europe. She noted growing cooperation in green energy equipment, new energy vehicles (NEVs) and cross-border e-commerce. Cargo varieties have expanded to include e-commerce parcels, cold chain food, automobiles and new energy products. In 2024, the services operated 19,000 trips, up 10% year-on-year, the China Daily reports.
