On the platform of the Erenhot railway port, the 1293rd China Europe freight train, loaded with car parts and photovoltaic modules, sounded its horn and set off. At the moment when the wheels rolled over the border, the 3500th China Europe freight train officially departed for Europe in 2026. This steel channel extending from the grasslands is efficiently connecting the manufacturing capacity of the North China hinterland to the logistics network of the Eurasian continent.

Continuous refresh of traffic efficiency

Since 2026, the Erenhot Railway Port has deepened the implementation of the 95306 digital port system and railway express mode in conjunction with customs, border inspection and other departments, and cross departmental data interconnection has continuously compressed the entire customs clearance process. The port adopts an integrated organization model of two border stations, dynamically sharing traffic flow and station storage information between China and Mongolia, and opening up a dedicated green channel for China Europe trains. Currently, the shortest clearance time for a single train is only 30 minutes, which is 12% lower than the beginning of the year.

From breaking through the first thousand trains in 5 years to adding a new thousand trains in less than 3 months, the growth rate of traffic on the Central Passage continues to accelerate. As of September 20th, the port has completed a freight volume of 3.3208 million tons for China Europe freight trains within the year, a year-on-year increase of 25.11%, and a year-on-year increase of 8.09% in train traffic volume. Both core indicators have reached their highest levels in the same period of history, and the daily stable operation rhythm of 13 trains has been fully normalized. As of August 24th, the cumulative number of trains passing through the Central Passage has exceeded 26000, and the growth curve continues to rise.

The radiation network continues to extend

As the only entry and exit port of the China Europe freight train, the route map of the Erenhot train is still expanding. At present, there are 76 China Europe freight train routes operating through the port, connecting more than 70 hub stations in more than 10 countries such as Germany and Poland. Domestic goods cover the vast majority of the first cities of China Europe freight trains. This year, three new direct routes to Central Asia have been added, further expanding the southward radiation range.

The category of transported goods has long shifted from metal products and chemical raw materials in the early years to high value-added Chinese intelligent products such as new energy vehicles and electronic equipment, and the proportion of such products has increased to over 40%. The China Channel is no longer just a transit logistics line, but has become a high-value industrial channel that connects China, Mongolia, Russia, and radiates the Eurasian market. Keywords: Erenhot Railway Port, China Europe Railway Express

The whistle goes far away, and the next growth curve of the China Europe freight train corridor is clearly unfolding on the grassland railway line.Editor/Cheng Liting