On the morning of October 23, 2026, at the Suifenhe Railway Port, a long whistle sounded as the return China Europe freight train, loaded with boards and barley, steadily sailed out of the country towards Zhengzhou. This seemingly ordinary train directly pushed the cumulative traffic volume of the China Europe Railway East Passage past the 6000 train mark in 2026, creating a steaming open growth curve on the railway line in Northeast China.

The monthly growth rate has exceeded 50% in a row, and the progress for the whole year is significantly ahead of schedule

As of October 23, 2026, the cumulative number of trains passing through the East Passage this year has reached 6024, a year-on-year increase of 40.3%, which is more than two months ahead of everyone's expectations and has crossed the critical threshold of 6000 trains. Looking back at this year's performance report, the market rose 53.3% in February, 55.3% in April, and directly surged to 57.2% in September. For several months in the past six months, it has maintained a high growth rate of over 50%, and the overall pace of the channel seems to have pressed the accelerator button.

As the largest cluster of China Europe freight train ports in the country, the acceleration of the East Passage is not achieved through the accumulation of manpower, but through practical digital transformation. The data link between the railway, customs, and enterprises has been connected, and the 95306 digital port system has achieved instant synchronization of information. The declaration and release process, which used to take half a day to complete, can now be completed within 30 minutes. After the blockage is cleared, the train can run smoothly all the way.

The three major ports show their skills, and the Northeast Open Passage is fully operational

The Suifenhe Port has reduced the clearance time from two to three days to one or two days this year. In the first ten months, the volume of train traffic increased by 150% year-on-year, ranking first among the three major ports in terms of growth rate. The youngest Tongjiangbei Port, with a transportation distance advantage of nearly 809 kilometers, directly saves 10 hours of time to reach the European hinterland. Since 2026, the number of trains has increased by 174.4% compared to the same period in 2025, becoming the fastest new dark horse in the entire channel. Keywords: China Europe freight train, cross-border freight train

The intelligent perception system at Manzhouli Port has reduced the entire customs clearance operation from 10 minutes to less than 1 minute, still maintaining its position as the top port in terms of total traffic volume. The three major ports are intertwined, and the proportion of return trains on the East Passage has risen to 41.1% of the national total, becoming the core carrier of return goods for China Europe trains nationwide. From running fast at the beginning of the year to colliding with 6000 trains ahead of schedule in October, the steel camel caravan rooted in Northeast China, the East Passage, is transforming its former location into an open frontier connecting Europe and Asia.Editor/Cheng Liting