China-Europe Freight Train Service Surpasses 90,000 Trips
Xi’an, The Gulf Observer: China-Europe freight train fully loaded with diverse goods departed from Xi’an, the capital city of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Saturday morning, bound for Malaszewicze, Poland. This journey marks a significant milestone, with the total number of China-Europe freight train trips surpassing 90,000.
According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., China-Europe freight trains have transported over 8.7 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers of goods, valued at $380 billion, to date.
The annual number of China-Europe freight train trips has surged dramatically from 1,702 in 2016 to over 17,000 in 2023. Correspondingly, the value of goods transported by this service skyrocketed from $8 billion in 2016 to $56.7 billion in 2023.
Initially transporting primarily IT products such as laptops and printers, the types of goods carried by the China-Europe freight trains have now expanded to over 50,000 different items. These include clothing and footwear, automobiles and parts, daily necessities, food, timber, furniture, chemicals, and machinery.
Since 2023, an increasing number of Chinese-made “tech-intensive green trio” products – lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaic products, and new energy vehicles – have been transported through the China-Europe freight train service, reflecting strong market demand, noted China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
The China-Europe freight train network has now reached 223 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, covering nearly the entire Eurasian continent, the company added.
This milestone highlights the growing importance and efficiency of the China-Europe freight train service in facilitating international trade and connecting markets across vast distances.
