China-Europe freight train runs top 110,000 trips on Tuesday, transporting goods worth more than $450 billion

On Tuesday morning, No. 75052 China-Europe freight train departed from Jiaozhou Station in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province. According to China Railway Group Co, the departure marks a significant milestone, as the cumulative number of China-Europe freight trains has now exceeded 110,000 trips, with the accumulative value of goods transported surpassing $450 billion.

 According to a report by Global Times, this achievement underscores the increasing significance of the freight train service in promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and Europe. It also illustrates the strength and reliability of Chinese supply chains, as noted by analysts.

 The freight rail web has expanded extensively in the past years. The network now covers 128 Chinese cities and reaches 229 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian nations.

Upgrades at five major Chinese border ports and the new addition of Tongjiang North Railway Port in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have increased the rail network’s daily handling capacity to 184 trips.

Digitalization and streamlined processes have revolutionised the efficiency of the freight operations. Digital innovations like the 95306 "digital port" and streamlined customs service help cut the clearance time to only minutes.

 Fourteen China-Europe freight train gathering centers have been established across different provinces in China, accelerating the formation of an efficient transportation system.

Meanwhile, China Railway Group Co’s overseas subsidiaries in countries such as Kazakhstan, Germany, and Russia, through their deepened cooperation with local railway administrations, as well as logistics, and port and freight forwarding enterprises, have ensured balanced outbound and inbound traffic with a 100-percent container utilization rate.

 The range of goods transported by the China-Europe freight trains has also expanded remarkably, now encompassing over 50,000 items across 53 categories.

High-value products, including automobiles, machinery, and electronics, have become the mainstay of exports, making up more than 60 percent of the total in 2024. China's "new three" export items—new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products—are increasingly being shipped via the trains.

WAM