On May 1, 2026, a cargo ship loaded with 100 containers slowly departed from the port of St. Petersburg, Russia, heading towards the port of Hamburg, Germany. The coffee machine, dehumidifier and other daily necessities on board come from the China Europe train that departed from Yiwu West Station more than a month ago. When containers navigate through the waves of the Baltic Sea, a brand new railway sea intermodal corridor in the history of China Europe freight trains is officially opened.

Departing from Yiwu and crossing the sea directly to Hamburg

On March 16, 2026, the X8020 China Europe freight train, consisting of 55 containers, departed from Yiwu West Station with a whistle. The train departs through the Alashankou Port, crosses Kazakhstan and Russia, arrives at the port of St. Petersburg, and then is transported by sea across the Baltic Sea, ultimately arriving at the port of Hamburg, Germany. This is the first time that the China Europe freight train has adopted a combined transportation mode of railway and cross Baltic sea freight. The entire transportation time is comparable to the traditional railway mode, but it is more than half shorter than full sea freight. The new route has achieved stable operation of 2 to 3 trains per week, with a focus on serving cross-border e-commerce and traditional foreign trade goods such as electromechanical, home furnishings, light industry, and auto parts.

Small boat express delivery solves the pain points of waiting for goods

In response to the industry pain point of traditional sea freight that requires waiting for the ship to be fully loaded before shipping, the operator, Asia Europe Interconnection Company, has chosen small customized container ships that can load 110 TEUs locally to achieve on-demand shipping upon arrival. The company has synchronously formulated the standard operating procedures for China Russia Europe railway sea intermodal transportation, clarified the operating norms for each link, and accurately matched market demand through two product promotion meetings. The new channel provides import and export enterprises with a third stable option after full railway and full sea transportation. Keywords: Land Port News Network, Rail Sea Intermodal Transport

The number of China Europe freight trains operating in the first quarter increased by nearly 30%

In the first quarter of 2026, a total of 5460 China Europe freight trains were operated, sending 546000 TEUs of goods, an increase of 29% and 22% year-on-year, respectively. At present, 93 planned routes have been arranged within the country, connecting 235 cities in 26 European countries, and the operation volume of the three western, central and eastern channels has increased comprehensively. The opening of the new railway sea intermodal route has further enriched the overseas channel network of the China Europe freight train, effectively avoiding the risk of cargo detention caused by traditional port congestion and improving the stability of train transportation. When railways and shipping intersect in the Baltic Sea, the China Europe freight train is upgrading from a single land route to a flexible logistics network that combines land and sea.Editor/Gao Xue