At 11:30 am on October 22, 2026, the steam whistle sounded at Puhe Station in Shenyang, and the X8059 China Europe freight train slowly started, loaded with car parts, mechanical equipment, and daily necessities manufactured in Northeast China, heading towards Moscow. In a dozen days, these goods will appear in warehouses and shelves in Russia. It is precisely this train that has pushed the cumulative volume of China Europe freight trains beyond the new mark of 140000 trains, with a cumulative value of over 560 billion US dollars. Over the past decade, this relentless steel caravan has grown from a trial route to a logistics artery spanning Asia and Europe.

The channel is getting denser and denser

The three channels of east, middle, and west within the country are fully utilized, and the operating routes are dynamically optimized. The China Europe freight train has 96 scheduled routes with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, connecting 132 cities in China. The three parallel channels of North, Central, and South connect 237 cities in 26 European countries, with service coverage covering the entire European region. The preliminary work of the cross-border standard gauge construction of the second line at the Alashankou Dostyk and Manzhouli Baikal ports between China and Russia has been accelerated, striving to start construction as soon as possible, and the port's traffic capacity will be further improved. International railway public and railway sea multimodal transport is also accelerating, and logistics products based on railway multimodal transport bills of lading are being put into use, allowing neighboring countries without railway ports to have a single system connection, convenient settlement, smooth and efficient, multi-directional extension, and sea land interconnection of the overseas channel network, which is becoming increasingly perfect.

The timeliness is getting faster and faster

The transit time is about one-third of sea freight, and the cost is much lower than air freight. This intermediate route is becoming the preferred choice for cross-border transportation in high-end manufacturing industries. Every week, 22 fully scheduled China Europe freight trains are steadily operated between 9 cities in China and 6 cities in Europe, accurately matching the needs of the industrial chain with stable and predictable timeliness. The railway express mode is fully promoted, and the 95306 digital port system is deeply applied, with the shortest clearance time at the port reduced to less than 30 minutes; Working together with foreign parties to improve the level of handover, the six major ports have delivered an average of 51.2 trains per day since the beginning of this year, a year-on-year increase of 12.8%. In May of this year, 1965 trains were operated and 197000 TEUs were shipped in a single month, setting a new historical high. As of September 2026, the heavy container rate has remained at 100% for 49 consecutive months, and the return to return ratio has exceeded 90% for 9 consecutive months. The cycle of having goods on the way and not being empty on the way back has truly run smoothly. 14 assembly centers have been constructed with high quality, and the organization of goods has been continuously optimized. From January to September this year, the proportion of operations reached 84%.

The circle of friends is getting bigger and bigger

Synchronized upgrade of equipment and services: Special equipment such as 40 foot liquid container bags and refrigerated temperature controlled containers have been put into use, significantly enhancing the transportation capacity of non hazardous liquids, cold chain and other special goods, and continuously expanding the categories of imported goods; The 40 foot 35 ton General Motors container has a larger loading capacity, helping Chinese commercial vehicles enter the international market. The overseas railway container cooperation has expanded the container yard to 17 countries, covering most of the overseas node cities; Promote the use of electronic blockade to achieve full tracking and breaking alarm throughout the process; The functionality of the portal website continues to be optimized, and the one-stop online window makes it easier for customers to handle affairs. The cooperation map is also expanding: the connection with Georgia, Azerbaijan and other countries is constantly strengthened, and the cooperation in the cross Caspian Sea direction is steadily advancing. A number of projects such as the China Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, Moscow Belelast Logistics Center, and Kazakhstan Xi'an Port have taken root. Two sessions of the China Europe freight train international cooperation forum have achieved 159 practical cooperation results, and mechanisms such as the Transport Joint Working Group, the Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Association and Chamber of Commerce of countries along the route continue to work hard to ensure safe, stable and smooth operation.

From the China Europe freight train to the steel camel caravan, what has changed is the number of trains and the accessibility map, but what remains unchanged is the original intention of connecting Asia and Europe and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results. Next, the National Development and Reform Commission will work with departments and units such as China Railway Group to closely follow the deployment of the national 15th Five Year Plan, continuously strengthen brand building, enhance internationalization and marketization levels, and promote the steady progress of the China Europe freight train towards higher quality, better efficiency, and safer direction.Editor/Yang Meiling