What is China Railway Express? China Railway Express Review

China Railway Express (English name: China Railway Express) refers to the international container railway combined transport trains operated by China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. according to fixed train numbers and routes, which travel between China and Europe and countries along the Belt and Road. Three routes of China Railway Express have been laid out: the western route exits from central and western my country via Alashankou (Horgos), the central route exits from North my country via Erenhot, and the eastern route exits from the southeastern coastal areas of my country via Manchuria (Suifenhe).

By June 2018, 48 cities in China had started operation, and the transportation network covered major areas of the Eurasian continent. As of April 2019, there were 65 routes in operation, reaching 44 cities in 15 European countries, and transporting a total of 920,000 TEUs. On October 26, 2019, the first train of the China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Liege) arrived at the Liege Logistics Multimodal Freight Terminal in Belgium. It became the first special train for cross-border e-commerce that runs through the Yangtze River Delta region of China, Central Asia and Europe. By the end of October, the total number of China-Europe Express trains had reached nearly 20,000.

On September 1, 2020, the China-Europe Express (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) cross-border e-commerce B2B export train was successfully launched with 43 containers.

At around 15:05 on November 18, 2020, the "Cross-border E-commerce Europe Special Train" carrying 100 standard containers departed from Yiwu West Station. The train was jointly assembled by 11 China-Europe express train operating platforms across the country. It is the first China-Europe express train in the country that involves cross-regional cooperation among multiple provinces.

Development History

Since the successful launch of the first China-Europe freight train (Chongqing-Duisburg, Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway) on March 19, 2011, cities such as Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou and Guangzhou have also launched container trains to Europe. As of August 1, 2014, a total of 239 container trains have been launched from various parts of China to Europe, including 100 in 2014.

From July 18, 2013 to March 30, 2016, in nearly three years, the total number of China-Europe freight trains has reached 300, with a total cargo value of over US$1.4 billion.

In 2016, China-Europe freight trains plan to operate 200 trains, with the number of unloading points expanded to 20, so that there will be three trains outbound and three trains in return every week.

On May 13, 2017, the 1,000th China-Europe Express (X8024, Yiwu-Madrid) whistled out of Yiwu West Station, fully loaded with small commodities, clothing and other goods. Statistics from China Railway Corporation show that the number of China-Europe Express trains in 2017 increased by 612 trains compared with the same period of the previous year, an increase of 158%.

April 27, 2018. The China-Europe Express arrived in Vienna for the first time.

On May 12, 2018, Xi'an International Port District visited the China-Europe Express "Chang'an". On March 7, the X8001 China-Europe Express, fully loaded with Made-in-China products, departed from Xi'an Xinzhu Station, becoming the 100th China-Europe Express train launched in Shaanxi in 2018. This has exceeded the number of 194 trains launched in 2018.

On June 28, 2018, a train loaded with electronic products departed from Tuanjie Village Central Station in Shapingba District, Chongqing, marking the 2,000th China-Europe Express (Chongqing) train run.

On June 28, 2018, the China-Europe Express (Chengdu) loaded with electronic products such as LCD monitors and laptops departed from Chengdu International Railway Port, marking the 2,000th China-Europe Express (Chengdu) train. Chongqing and Chengdu simultaneously became the first cities in China to achieve a total of 2,000 China-Europe Express trains.

As of the end of June 2018, the cumulative number of China-Europe freight trains has exceeded 9,000, transporting nearly 800,000 standard containers of goods. The trains have been launched in 48 cities in China and arrived in 42 cities in 14 European countries. The transportation network covers major areas of the Eurasian continent.

At 22:29 on July 31, 2018, the X8011/2 train, consisting of 50 cars and fully loaded with electronic components, beverages, food and other products, departed from Wuhan Wujiashan Station and headed for Duisburg, Germany. Some of the cars and goods will transfer to freight trains bound for London, UK in Duisburg. This is the first time that the China-Europe Express (Wuhan) has extended to London, UK. This train will be the 90th China-Europe Express train departing from Wuhan in 2018. Following the opening of the Wuhan-Lyon train, this is another extension of the China-Europe Express (Wuhan) logistics line, expanding the service radius and scope of the train.

On September 4, 2018, two China-Europe freight trains departing from Shanxi, China, entered the Duisburg railway freight transshipment station in Germany. This was the first time that a China-Europe freight train from Shanxi arrived in Duisburg.

At 10:28 on September 28, 2018, a container freight train loaded with Jingdezhen ceramics, tea and other products departed from Jingdezhen East Station in Jiangxi Province and headed for Moscow, Russia. This was the first China-Europe train departing from Jingdezhen, the "Millennium Porcelain Capital", and it was also the first time that Jingdezhen porcelain and tea went abroad on the China-Europe train.

On October 15, 2018, the 919th China-Europe Express (Chongqing) departed for Russia. [17] On December 10, the China-Europe Express (Chongqing) had operated more than 1,000 trains since 2018, and its status as an important channel for Chongqing and even western China's opening up to the outside world has become increasingly prominent.

On November 26, 2018, the first mail import test of the China-Europe Express was successfully completed.

On December 10, 2018, a train loaded with agricultural products, auto parts and other goods departed from Shiyan Railway Station in Hubei Province and headed for Europe, marking the successful opening of the "Shi-Han-Europe" international freight train.

On December 31, 2018, freight train No. X9401 departed from the China-Europe Express Urumqi assembly center, exited the country through Alashankou Station, and headed for Naples, Italy. In 2018, the China-Europe Express Urumqi assembly center operated 1,000 trains, a year-on-year increase of 41.2%. The scale of China-Europe Express trains has rapidly developed from 1 train per week to 3 trains per day, with 20 train routes reaching 26 cities in 19 countries in Central Asia and Europe.

On December 31, 2018, the last China-Europe Express (Chengdu) train of 2018 departed for Europe. This was the 1,591st train of the year, which means that the China-Europe Express (Chengdu) has led the country for three consecutive years.

On January 12, 2019, the outbound and return trains of the China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou) arrived at the Suifenhe Port for the first time, marking the opening of another important entry and exit channel for the China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou) after Alashankou, Erenhot, Horgos and Pingxiang.

As of February 2019, the China-Europe (Xiamen) Express has opened six international routes from Xiamen to Budapest, Hamburg, Duisburg, Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Moscow, reaching more than 30 cities in 12 countries.

On March 29, 2019, the Skyworth ship carrying 41 full containers of goods set sail from Chengdu International Railway Port and arrived in Lodz, Poland about 10 days later. This is the first time that Skyworth, a Chinese TV company, has used the China-Europe Express (Chengdu) channel to enter the European market.

On March 30, 2019, the Qingbaijiang area of ​​the Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone officially launched the pilot project of the China-Europe Railway Express (Chengdu)-Lodz, Poland "Safe and Smart Trade" project. As the first batch of pilot goods, TCL Wangpai Electric (Chengdu) Co., Ltd.'s LCD TV accessories worth more than 1.97 million US dollars have now completed all customs procedures and will be exported to Europe by the China-Europe Railway Express (Chengdu).

On April 4, 2019, the first China-Europe Express from Luxembourg to Chengdu was ready to depart at the Dudelange Railway Station in Luxembourg. The China-Europe Express takes only 1/4 of the time of sea transport and 1/5 of the price of air transport. It is safer and more environmentally friendly than road transport. "This 'Orient Express' not only has important economic value, but also helps to further deepen the mutual understanding between the people of Luxembourg and China." On April 4, at the Dudelange Railway Station of Luxembourg National Railway Intermodal Transport Company, a train decorated with flowers and hung with the national flags of China and Luxembourg was ready to depart. This is the first China-Europe Express from Luxembourg to Chengdu, and it is also a new achievement of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" by China and Luxembourg.

On April 17, 2019, the largest land port between China and Mongolia, Erenhot Port, operated a total of 300 China-Europe trains in the first quarter of 2019. The China-Europe train routes entering and leaving Erenhot Port cover 10 countries and more than 60 regions in Asia and Europe, providing a guarantee for the smooth trade of countries along the "Belt and Road".

Since the first China-Europe Express train was launched on April 22, 2019, a total of 14,691 trains have been launched, connecting 62 cities in China and 51 cities in 15 European countries, with 68 routes. Now, it can be said that from any city in China, you can go out through three exits, Alashankou in the west, Manzhouli in the east, and Erenhot in the middle, through Central Asia, Belarus, and Russia, to any country in Europe.

On October 26, 2019, the first China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Liege) "World Electronic Trade Platform (eWTP) Cainiao" train blew its whistle from Yiwu, Zhejiang on October 9, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany, and finally arriving in Liege, Belgium. As of the end of October, the total number of China-Europe Express trains has reached nearly 20,000.

On January 11, 2020, Chongqing Mayor Tang Liangzhi said in his government work report at the Third Session of the Fifth Chongqing Municipal People's Congress that Chongqing accelerated the construction of an inland open highland in 2019, with more than 1,500 China-Europe Express trains (Chongqing) running throughout the year, and the volume of transported boxes and cargo value both increased by 48%. The China-Europe Express (Chongqing) has run more than 4,500 trains in total, and China's "inland era" of opening up is constantly developing.

At 10:38 on March 27, 2020, the "YiXinOu China Post" X8020 China-Europe freight train, loaded with epidemic prevention materials and small commodities, departed from Yiwu West Station and headed for Madrid, Spain, marking the large-scale and normalized operation of Yiwu's postal business to Europe.

On the morning of April 1, 2020, the 28030 China-Europe freight train, carrying 18 loaders, 1 road roller and other engineering machinery products, departed from Liuzhou, Guangxi to Almaty, Zaxita and Pavlorda, Kazakhstan.

From January to April 2020, a total of 2,920 China-Europe trains were launched, and 262,000 TEUs of goods were shipped, up 24% and 27% year-on-year, respectively, with a comprehensive load rate of 98%. Among them, 1,638 trains and 148,000 TEUs were shipped on the outbound journey, up 36% and 40% year-on-year, respectively, with a load rate of 99.9%; 1,282 trains and 114,000 TEUs were shipped on the return journey, up 11% and 14% year-on-year, respectively, with a load rate of 95.5%.

On July 18, 2020, the China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou) was launched for 7 years. After 7 years of development, the China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou) has grown from the initial one train per month to the current maximum frequency of "14 trains outbound and 10 trains inbound" per week, covering 130 cities in 30 countries.

On July 20, 2020, the first toy-dedicated China-Europe freight train, loaded with 94 standard containers of toys of various brands, departed from Yiwu and headed for Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, 11,411 kilometers away, marking the successful launch of the country's first China-Europe freight train dedicated to toys.

At about 5:00 on July 22, 2020, the China-Europe Express, loaded with 45 cars of high-quality light industrial products from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, slowly departed from Dalang Station of Guangzhou Railway Hub and headed north. It is expected to arrive in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in 15 days. This is the 30th China-Europe Express from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Russia this year.

At 10:00 a.m. on September 1, 2020, the China-Europe Express (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) cross-border e-commerce B2B export train slowly drove out of the Chongqing Tuanjie Village Station, marking the successful launch of the country's first China-Europe Express cross-border e-commerce B2B export train. This train is loaded with 43 containers of cross-border e-commerce goods from all over the country, mainly including clothing, shoes, hats, household goods, daily necessities, etc., which will be sent to Germany, Poland and other European countries.

On October 10, 2020, the first China-Europe freight train from Yiwu, Zhejiang to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, departed from Yiwu West Railway Station. This is the first time that Zhejiang Province has opened an international railway logistics channel to Southeast Asian countries, and it also marks the official opening of Yiwu’s 13th China-Europe freight train line.

At 10 a.m. on January 1, 2021, whistles sounded simultaneously in Chengdu International Railway Port and Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park, 280 kilometers apart. The first China-Europe Express (Chengdu-Chongqing) train drove all the way to Lodz, Poland and Duisburg, Germany in Europe with a new look for the new year. From then on, all China-Europe trains running in Chengdu and Chongqing were named "Chengdu-Chongqing", and there was no distinction between the two.

Line conditions

"Three Channels" and "Five Ports" facilitate China-Europe freight trains

China-Europe Express refers to the fast freight trains from China to Europe, which are freight trains suitable for transporting containers. The operation status of the China-Europe Express train lines in the three planned western, central and eastern corridors is as follows:

1. China-Europe Express (Chongqing-Duisburg) . It departs from Tuanjiecun Station in Chongqing, exits from Alashankou, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and arrives at Duisburg Station in Germany. The whole journey is about 11,000 kilometers and the running time is about 15 days. The source of goods is mainly locally produced IT products. In 2014, it began to attract other sources of goods exported to Europe from surrounding areas. The first train was launched on March 19, 2011. As of June 2016, according to the statistics of the State Customs, the number of Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Express trains opened by Chongqing accounted for about 45% of the number of China-Europe Express trains in the country, and its cargo value accounted for 85% of the total value of all China-Europe Express trains departing from Alashankou, Xinjiang.

On March 23, 2017, the China-Europe (Chongqing) freight train exceeded 1,000 trains six years after its launch, becoming the first China-Europe freight train in China to exceed 1,000 trains.

On June 28, 2018, a train loaded with electronic products departed from Tuanjie Village Central Station in Shapingba District, Chongqing, marking the 2,000th China-Europe Express (Chongqing) train run.

2. China-Europe Express (Chengdu-Lodz) . It departs from Chengdu Chengxiang Station, exits from Alashankou, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and arrives at Lodz Station in Poland. The entire journey is 9,965 kilometers and the running time is about 14 days. The source of goods is mainly locally produced IT products and other export goods. The first train was launched on April 26, 2013. As of December 31, 2018, a total of 3,088 trains have been launched, of which 1,591 were launched in 2018.

3. China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou-Hamburg) . It departs from Putian Station in Zhengzhou, exits from Alashankou, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and arrives at Hamburg Station in Germany. The whole journey is 10,245 kilometers and the running time is about 15 days. The cargo mainly comes from central and eastern provinces and cities such as Henan, Shandong, Zhejiang and Fujian. The cargo types include tires, high-end clothing, stationery and sports goods, handicrafts, etc. The first train was launched on July 18, 2013. As of December 17, 2014, a total of 92 trains have been launched, with a total of 42,600 tons of cargo transported, with a total cargo value of approximately US$455 million. Among them, 33,700 tons of cargo were transported in 2014, with a total cargo value of US$405 million.

4. China-Europe Express (Suzhou-Warsaw) . It starts from Suzhou, exits from Manchuria, passes through Russia and Belarus to Warsaw Station in Poland, with a total distance of 11,200 kilometers and a running time of about 15 days. The cargo is IT products such as notebook computers, tablet computers, LCD screens, hard disks, chips, etc. in Suzhou and its surrounding areas. The first train was launched on September 29, 2013. As of August 1, 2014, a total of 16 trains have been launched, including 15 in 2014.

5. China-Europe Express (Wuhan-Czech Republic, Poland) . It starts from Wuhan Wujiashan Station, exits the country through Alashankou, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and reaches relevant cities in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and other countries. The whole journey is about 10,700 kilometers and the running time is about 15 days. The source of goods is mainly consumer electronic products such as laptops produced in Wuhan, as well as other goods from surrounding areas. The first train was launched on October 24, 2012. As of August 1, 2014, a total of 10 trains have been launched, including 9 trains in 2014.

In January 2018, the China-Europe Express (Wuhan) loaded with cold chain containers of Three Gorges citrus slowly drove out of the freight yard of Yichang East Railway Station. This was the first China-Europe citrus train launched by China Railway in 2018, which means that the export of Three Gorges citrus has achieved "one-stop" access.

6. China-Europe Express (Changsha-Duisburg) . The departure station is Changsha Xianing Freight Yard, and the specific operation route is "one main and two auxiliary". The "one main" route is from Changsha to Duisburg, Germany, exiting through Alashankou, Xinjiang, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany, with a total distance of 11,808 kilometers and a running time of 18 days. It was first launched on October 30, 2012. The "two auxiliary" routes are: one exits through Horgos, Xinjiang, and finally arrives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with a total distance of 6,146 kilometers and a running time of 11 days; the other "two auxiliary" route exits through Erenhot (or Manchuria) and arrives in Moscow, Russia, with a total distance of 8,047 kilometers (or 10,090 kilometers) and a running time of 13 days (or 15 days).

7. China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Madrid) . Starting from Yiwu West Railway Station, as an important part of China-Europe Express, the first route of China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Madrid) will run through the New Silk Road Economic Belt, from Yiwu West Railway Station to Madrid, Spain, and exit through Xinjiang Alashankou Port, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France, and Spain, with a total distance of 13,052 kilometers and a running time of about 21 days. The first China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Madrid) has 41 trains, carrying 82 standard containers for export, with a total length of more than 550 meters. It started at 11:00 am on November 18, 2014. It is currently the longest train in China's history, passing through the most cities and countries, and the most number of overseas railway track changes.

Compared with other China-Europe trains, YiXinOu has set five firsts:

First, the transport route is the longest. It is 1,850 kilometers longer than the original longest route of the "Su-Man-Europe" train (full journey of 11,200 kilometers), and is the longest of all China-Europe trains.

Second, it passes through the most countries. In addition to China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany, France and Spain have also been added, totaling 8 countries, almost across the entire Eurasian continent.

Third, it passes through the most provinces in China. It starts from Zhejiang and crosses east and west, passing Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and exits the country at the Alashankou Port in Xinjiang, covering a total of 6 provinces (autonomous regions).

Fourth, overseas railways have the most track changes. Other China-Europe trains change tracks twice in Kazakhstan and Poland, while the Yiwu-Madrid China-Europe train (Yiwu-Madrid) needs to change tracks for the third time in Irun, on the border between France and Spain.

Fifth, compared with the first batch of cities included in the "China-Europe Express" sequence, such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Suzhou, Yiwu is a county-level city that has opened the China-Europe Express.

In the early stage of the operation of the above-mentioned trains, local governments cultivated the market through subsidies and other measures, providing strong support for ensuring the stable operation of the trains, establishing the China-Europe international railway transport brand and implementing the "Belt and Road" strategy.

8. China-Europe Express (Harbin-Russia) . On February 28, 2015, a container freight train loaded with oil exploration equipment departed from Harbin Xiangfang Railway Station. Ten days later, it will arrive at Biklyan Railway Station in central Russia. This marks the official launch of the first China-Europe Express in Heilongjiang Province, China's northernmost province, which will become a new engine for deepening all-round exchanges and cooperation with Russia and driving the opening-up and upgrading of Heilongjiang's border areas.

The train runs a total of 6,578 kilometers, reaching Manzhouli Port Station via the Binzhou Railway for 1,004 kilometers, and then reaching Biklian Station via the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway for 5,574 kilometers. By transporting goods by international railway freight trains, Heilongjiang Province can save about three-quarters of the freight compared to air transportation to central Russia, and the delivery time can be shortened by more than two-thirds compared to ordinary scattered transportation, and the freight can be saved by more than 25%.

9. China-Europe Express (Harbin-Hamburg). On the morning of May 25, 2015, the preparatory meeting of Harbin-Europe International Logistics Co., Ltd. was held. In order to realize the goal proposed by the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee at the economic work conference to "use the railway channel from Manzhouli to Suifenhe to build a new 'Silk Road' from Heilongjiang to the hinterland of Russia and Europe", Heilongjiang Province introduced Beijing Changjiu International Logistics Company, UTI International Logistics Group of the United States, Dalian Port Group and Harbin Railway Bureau to jointly open the Harbin-Europe Express. The Harbin-Europe Express starts from Harbin in the east, passes through Manzhouli, Russia's Trans-Baikal to Chita, turns to the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway, passes through Yekaterinburg and Moscow in Russia to Malaszewicze in Poland and ends in Hamburg, Germany, with a total distance of 9,820 kilometers. With the advantages of "short distance, fast speed and low cost", the Harbin-Europe Express has attracted international attention. The governments of the Greater Hamburg region, Bavaria and Lower Saxony in Germany all hope to cooperate with Harbin-Europe. Railway operating companies in France, Switzerland and other countries have also expressed their willingness to cooperate on the European extension of the Harbin-Europe train.

10. China-Europe Express (Lanzhou-Hamburg) "Lanzhou" China-Europe international freight train Lanzhou-Hamburg round-trip train started its first operation today.

At 9 o'clock in the morning on August 21, 2015, a long whistle broke the tranquility of the North Station of Lanzhou New District. The "Lanzhou" China-Europe international freight train, carrying Lanzhou's hopes, officially started here. The "Lanzhou" China-Europe international freight train, Lanzhou-Hamburg, started from Lanzhou, exited through Alashankou, Xinjiang, and arrived in Hamburg, Germany after passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland. The whole journey is 8,027 kilometers and the running time is about 15 days, which saves about 15 days compared to sea transportation to Europe. This first train adopts the customs clearance mode of direct transfer, which effectively reduces the customs clearance costs of enterprises. The China-Europe train from the Alashankou exit has a total of 42 carriages, equivalent to 84 standard containers, with a freight volume of 646.36 tons and a cargo value of 259,159.212 million US dollars. The main commodities are CNC lathes, CNC machine tools, tires, convection electric heaters, coke gems, etc. The opening of the train not only builds a railway channel for international freight transport between Lanzhou and Europe, but also opens the door to Europe for Lanzhou to open up. It will surely play a major leading and promoting role in Lanzhou's role as a central hub, building a large open international city, and accelerating economic transformation and leapfrog development. "The opening of this international freight train to Europe will realize the round-trip freight from Lanzhou to Hamburg and then from Hamburg to Lanzhou. It is of great significance for Lanzhou to develop an export-oriented economy. It will also better play the role of Lanzhou's "dry dock" and drive the industrial development of surrounding areas and opening up to the west." It is reported that this Lanzhou-Hamburg freight train is the first attempt to send and receive freight domestically. Among the returned goods, 16 containers are equipment purchased by Lanzhou New District enterprises in Germany. In the next step, the CPC Lanzhou Municipal Committee and the Municipal Government will closely combine the construction of the Lanzhou New District Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the Xigu International Port Area, and fully support and promote the normal operation of the China-Europe international freight train through various means such as policy guidance and financial subsidies.

11. Hebei-Europe Express (Baoding-Minsk, Belarus). It was launched on the morning of April 26, 2016. It is the first freight train in China to the China-Belarus Industrial Park and the first land transport channel in North China to Europe. It starts from Baoding, exits from Manzhouli, passes through Russia, and finally arrives in Minsk, Belarus. The whole journey is about 9,500 kilometers and takes about 12-14 days. The source of goods mainly comes from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the types of goods include plastic products, automobiles and accessories, rubber and its products, clothing, leather and fur products, daily electrical appliances, plexiglass products, towels and other daily necessities.

12. China-Europe Express (Xining-Antwerp). On the morning of September 8, 2016, the first China-Europe Express on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau departed from Shuangzhai Railway Logistics Center in Xining, Qinghai Province, and headed for Antwerp, the second largest container port in Europe, located in Belgium. The entire journey takes about 12 days, and mainly transports Tibetan carpets, wolfberries and other local specialty products of Qinghai.

As of October 2018, the China-Europe Express (Xi'an) has operated more than 1,000 trains.

13. China-Europe Express (Guangzhou-Moscow). It was launched on August 29, 2016, starting from Guangzhou Dalang Station, exiting the country through Manchuria, and directly reaching Moscow, Russia. The entire journey is 11,500 kilometers, with a total of 41 40" HQ containers, and it takes 15 days to reach the destination. It is now shipped on time every week, providing a more convenient and stable transportation channel for China-Europe foreign traders in the Pearl River Delta region, and at the same time making up for the lack of transportation time for electronic and daily necessities export trade in South China, opening up a safe, efficient and convenient international import and export trade green channel for Chinese goods to be exported to Europe and European products to enter China.

14. China-Europe Express (Qingdao-Moscow). On June 24, 2017, under the supervision of Qingdao Customs, a train loaded with 41 containers departed from Qingdao Multimodal Customs Supervision Center, passed through Manchuria Port, and went directly to Moscow, Russia, marking the official opening of China-Europe Express (Qingdao). The containers were loaded with Qingdao local machinery and equipment, tires and rubber, home appliances and other goods. The train is 7,900 kilometers long and takes about 22 days to run, which saves about 30 days compared with sea transportation. Qingdao Jiaozhou has built the first multimodal customs supervision center on the coast of China. Under the promotion of customs and other port units, international trains such as Central Asia and China-Mongolia have been opened. With the opening of China-Europe (Qingdao) Express and the extension of the route, an international logistics channel network has gradually taken shape, reaching Russia and Mongolia in the north, ASEAN in the south, Japan and South Korea in the east, and Europe in the west.

15. China-Europe Express (Changchun-Hamburg). On October 13, 2017, a China-Europe international freight train loaded with auto parts and textiles departed from Changchun International Port. 42 carriages of goods will be shipped from Manzhouli to Hamburg, Germany. With the first China-Europe Express from Changchun to Hamburg, Changchun International Port was officially opened. The train is operated by China Railway Container Transport Co., Ltd. The first train passes through many cities in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Belgium, Germany and other European countries. The maximum speed is 120 kilometers per hour. The whole journey takes about 12-15 days. It mainly transports auto parts, electronic machinery and equipment, valves and clothing for some enterprises in Jilin Province and North China. In the long term, the normal operation will reach 5 outbound and 2 inbound per week.

16. China-Europe Express (Nanchang-Moscow). On April 20, 2018, the first China-Europe Express (Nanchang-Moscow) in Nanchang sounded the whistle and set sail at the Nanchang Xiangtang Railway Port, marking the official launch of the China-Europe Express from Nanchang to Moscow.

17. China-Europe Express (Tangshan-Belgium). On April 26, 2018, an international container train bound for Antwerp, Belgium departed from the Jingtang Port Area of ​​Tangshan Port. The train departed from the Jingtang Port Area of ​​Tangshan Port, passed through Beijing, Hohhot, Baotou, Hami, Urumqi, and exited from the Alashankou Port, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany to reach Antwerp, Belgium. The entire journey is about 11,000 kilometers and the running time is about 16 days.

18. China-Europe Express (Chengdu-Vienna) On April 27, 2018, the first China-Europe Express train to Vienna, the capital of Austria, arrived at its destination. The first China-Europe Express train to Vienna departed from Chengdu on April 12, passing through six countries in Asia and Europe, covering a distance of 9,800 kilometers. The train was loaded with goods including electronic parts, LED lamps and sleeping bags.

19. The China-Europe Express (Wuhan-Hamburg, Germany) was shipped from Xiangyang North Station in Hubei on March 28. The first "Xiang-Han-Europe" international freight train was carrying engines, auto parts, bearings and instruments produced by the Xiangyang factory of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Co., Ltd. and other enterprises. It will be added to the Wuhan-Europe Express at the China Railway Express Railway Center Station at Wuhan Airport, pass through Alashankou, and head to Hamburg, Germany, 12,000 kilometers away. This marks the first opening of the "Xiang-Han-Europe" international freight train by the China-Europe Wuhan Express.

20. China-Europe Express (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ~ Bam, southeastern Iran) On September 4, 2018, the China-Europe Express was ready to go at Shaliang Logistics Park. Another international freight railway line was opened from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The first train, loaded with 41 containers and a total value of about 10 million yuan, left the Shaliang Logistics Park in southeastern Hohhot and arrived in Bam, southeastern Iran, more than 9,000 kilometers away, 15 days later.

21. China-Europe Express (Urumqi ~ Duisburg, Germany) On May 28, 2016, the first international freight train from Urumqi to Duisburg left the Urumqi platform. The first westbound international freight train from Xinjiang, China to Germany (Urumqi to Duisburg) was launched. The first train is expected to take 10 days for a one-way trip, with a total mileage of 8,000 kilometers. After departing from Urumqi, it will leave the country through the Alashankou Port, the bridgehead of the Eurasian Continental Bridge, and pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, and Poland to Duisburg, Germany. The outbound train mainly carries products from local manufacturing enterprises in Xinjiang; the return cargo is mainly consumer goods and industrial finished products, including food, health care products, household products, and electromechanical products.

22. China-Europe Express (Jingdezhen~Moscow) At 10:28 on September 28, 2018, a container freight train carrying Jingdezhen ceramics, tea and other products departed from Jingdezhen East Station in Jiangxi Province and headed for Moscow, Russia.

23. China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou ~ Liege, Belgium) At 16:00 on October 24, 2018, a China-Europe Express train carrying 41 containers departed from Liege Station in Belgium, marking the official operation of another destination station of China-Europe Express (Zhengzhou) in Europe. The "Silk Road on Land" from Zhengzhou, Henan to the hinterland of Europe continues to extend westward by 500 kilometers. This train carries major goods such as auto parts, fine chemical materials, and clothing, and will reach Zhengzhou across a distance of 11,000 kilometers.

24. China-Europe Express (Wuhan-Irkutsk) On November 22, 2018, a train loaded with fresh fruits such as citrus and grapefruit departed from Wuhan and headed for Irkutsk, Russia. This is the first fruit train launched by the China-Europe Wuhan Express. The fruit train will depart from Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia, and is expected to arrive in Irkutsk in about 15 days. During long-distance transportation, fresh fruits such as citrus and grapefruit will be transported in cold chain containers in a low-temperature environment to ensure quality.

25. China-Europe Express (Lianyungang-Istanbul) On November 28, 2018, the Lianyungang China-Europe Express (towards Turkey) carrying 21 containers of machinery and equipment, electronic products, and daily necessities was officially put into operation. For the first time in three years since the start of the Lianyungang China-Europe Express, the Lianyungang China-Europe Express has achieved full railway transportation from station to station along the "Lianyungang-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey" line. The "Lianyungang-Istanbul" train will depart regularly from the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of each month, gradually realizing a normalized operation mode.

26. China-Europe Express (Chengdu to Wroclaw, Poland) On September 6, 2019, the first China-Europe Express from Chengdu to Wroclaw, Poland departed from Chengdu International Railway Port in Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu. At this point, the number of overseas stop cities for the China-Europe Express (Chengdu) has increased to 26.

27. The China-Europe Express (Yiwu-Liege) departs from Yiwu, Zhejiang, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany, and finally arrives in Liege, Belgium. The first train was launched on October 9, 2019 and ran for 17 days. Through the logistics hub deployed by Cainiao Network in Liege, the European truck network and the European delivery self-pickup network, the cross-border parcels carried by the train will be quickly distributed from Liege to European countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands. The train will maintain a frequency of one train per week.

28. China-Europe Express (Xuzhou-Moscow)

Significance of opening

China-Europe Express Trains have become the backbone of international logistics and land transportation

The logistics channels between Asia and Europe mainly include sea transport channels, air transport channels and land transport channels. The China-Europe Express has become the backbone mode of land transportation in international logistics with its characteristics of short transportation distance, high speed, high safety, and advantages of safety, speed, greenness and environmental protection, and little impact on the natural environment. The logistics organization of the China-Europe Express is becoming more and more mature, the economic and trade exchanges between the countries along the train are becoming more and more active, and the cooperation between the railways, ports, customs and other departments of the countries is becoming closer. These favorable conditions will further play the role of the railway as the backbone of international logistics and play an important role in transforming the Silk Road from the original "trade road" to an "economic belt" with industrial and population agglomeration in the "Belt and Road" strategy.

"Six Unifications" Create a Railway International Combined Freight Transport Brand

In order to meet the growing needs of international intermodal freight transportation between countries along the China-Europe Express, further improve transportation quality and efficiency, and create a railway international intermodal freight transportation brand of "fast, punctual, safe, stable, green and environmentally friendly", the railway department has formulated the "Interim Measures for the Organization and Management of China-Europe Express Trains" and the China-Europe Express Train Brand Logo Design Plan in accordance with the "six unifications", namely: unified brand logo, unified transportation organization, unified full-course price, unified service standards, unified business team, unified coordination platform, and strengthened the principle of mechanism and equipment guarantee, and continuously optimized the train organization plan. In the train operation diagram adjusted on July 1, the China Railway Corporation is market- and customer-oriented, starting from seamless connection with ports and customs operations, and reversing the operation diagram according to the train arriving at the port in the morning, which compresses the domestic section operation time by an average of about 1 day. At the same time, the head office further strengthened the train service team and improved the train service quality. The container company comprehensively promoted the construction of the China-Europe train service platform, set up a document center and a customer service center, and provided unified document services to China-Europe train customers, pushed train tracking information and customer service to customers at fixed points and times, strengthened domestic and overseas marketing organizations, and provided customers with high-quality full-process logistics services. The China Railway Corporation is compiling a unified operation diagram for the entire process, which basically meets the requirements of one train per day, 1,000 kilometers per day, and a full-process transportation time of about 12 days. On the basis of doing a good job in organizing the whole train directly, it gradually promotes the goal of organizing transportation in groups, scattered transit, and other modes, and continuously deepens the construction of China-Europe trains.

The relevant person in charge of the railway department said that in order to fully release the potential of the logistics channel of the New Silk Road Economic Belt, the railway department will, in line with the principle of being close to the market, strengthen the operation organization of the China-Europe Express, ensure that it runs on time according to the schedule, and strive to improve the operation quality of the China-Europe Express; optimize and improve the work process and system methods of the China-Europe Express Customer Service Center, and provide customers with good information query, information customization and push, complaint and suggestion acceptance and other services; optimize and improve the work process and quality standards of the China-Europe Express Document Center, and strive to provide customers with high-quality international multimodal transport document pre-examination, document preparation and billing and other related services; fully open to serve local governments and enterprises, and gradually expand the China-Europe Express market. On the basis of the existing China-Europe Express trains in various places, as long as the supply of goods supports it, the railway department will actively organize and continuously expand the service scope of the China-Europe Express.

The initial operation plan of the Zhengzhou-Liege China-Europe Express is to have one outbound train and one return train per week, and the frequency will gradually increase. In addition to providing services to Belgian companies, the train also serves neighboring countries such as France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and Italy, promoting further integration of the China-Europe trade channel.

Coordination meeting

first

China Railway Corporation held the first domestic coordination meeting of China-Europe freight trains in Chongqing on August 14, 2014. Heads of governments from Chongqing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Yiwu and other places and heads of China-Europe freight train platform companies from various places attended the meeting.

The meeting promulgated the "Interim Measures for the Organization and Management of China-Europe Express" and signed the "Memorandum on the Establishment of the China-Europe Express Domestic Transport Coordination Conference". The specific content involves the future unified brand logo of China-Europe Express, unified transportation organization, unified full-process prices, unified service standards, unified management teams, unified coordination platforms for China-Europe Express, and strengthening mechanisms and equipment guarantees.

According to news from the coordination meeting, domestic parties have made it clear that the next step will be to lay out the full-process operation map, carry out the full-process preferential price negotiations, organize the return shipment, and promote international intermodal transport of postal special supplies.

A relevant person in charge of the Chongqing Economic and Information Commission said that China Railway Corporation's leadership in building China-Europe freight trains will help increase the negotiation strength between China Railway and railways along the line and accelerate the expansion and strengthening of China-Europe freight trains. Chongqing will actively cooperate with China Railway Corporation to organize stable supply of goods, increase transportation volume, and reduce the entire logistics costs.

It is understood that since the Chongqing-Duisburg train was launched in 2011, as of August 13, 2014, a total of 249 China-Europe trains were launched in various cities in China, of which 110 were launched in 2014.

Second time

On December 16, 2014, the second domestic transportation coordination meeting of China-Europe freight trains sponsored by China Railway Container Corporation was held in Zhengzhou. Representatives from six places including Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Suzhou, Yiwu and other places had in-depth discussions on the opening and operation of China-Europe freight trains, volume and price bundling, and transit assembly.

The "Measures for the Transfer and Assembly of China-Europe Express" proposes that the Zhengzhou Railway Container Center Station focuses on cargoes in the ten provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Guangxi, Guangdong and Jiangxi. Among them, the Zhengzhou Railway Express takes the western channel of the Alashan Pass and focuses on cargoes in the six provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Hubei, Shandong and Anhui; the Zhengzhou Railway Express takes the central channel of Erlianhot entrance, focusing on cargoes in the eight provinces of Henan, Hubei, Shandong, and Hunan.

At this coordination meeting, operators from various China-Europe freight trains such as Zhengzhou Land Port Company, Chongqing Yuxinou Company, Chengdu Asia-Europe Company, Wuhan Hanou Company, Suzhou Comprehensive Protection Transport Company, Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. gathered to jointly sign a coordination memorandum to cooperate to build a "New Silk Road" logistics channel.

China-Europe Express: Losing money to solve the "Silk Road" trade

The rise of China-Europe freight trains was caused by 2014. At that time, President Xi Jinping visited the EU. During his visit, he proposed that China and Europe should upgrade simple trading trade cooperation to a compound economic and trade cooperation linked to various fields, and strive to achieve the goal of an annual trade volume of US$1 trillion as soon as possible. In 2013, this data was US$559.1 billion.

Economist Song Qinghui pointed out in an interview with a reporter from Times Weekly that the original intention of opening the China-Europe freight train is to connect with the country's westward strategy, and the China-Europe freight train has also become an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt development strategy and has risen to the height of the national strategy.

Statistics

China News Service, Beijing, January 4 (Reporter Zhou Yin) The reporter learned from the work meeting of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as China Railway Group) on the 4th that the number of China-Europe freight trains in 2020 was safe, smooth and stable, and the number of China-Europe freight trains increased against the trend. The whole year was launched with 12,400 China-Europe freight trains and 1.135 million standard boxes were sent, an increase of 50% and 56% year-on-year, and the comprehensive heavy-box rate reached 98.4%. The number of annual trains exceeded 10,000 for the first time, and the monthly trains were stable at more than 1,000.

The meeting emphasized that new progress has been made in the construction of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor. 3,600 trains of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor trains were launched throughout the year and 190,000 TEUs were sent, an increase of 73% and 80% year-on-year respectively.

Business Cooperation

The "Notice on Further Give full play to the role of China-Europe Express in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic and doing a good job in stabilizing foreign trade, stabilizing foreign investment and promoting consumption" and the "Notice on the Current Better Service and Stabilizing Foreign Trade Work", clearly propose to encourage China-Europe Express operators to carry out commercial cooperation with cross-border e-commerce companies.