Yangtze River Delta–Europe China Railway Express volume in the first 2 months increased by 27.3% year-on-year

Zhang Xin

Original Title: Yangtze River Delta China-Europe Railway Express Opens 27.3% More Trips in the First Two Months Year-over-Year

On March 4th, Xinhua Daily · JiaoHuiDian reporter learned from China Railway Shanghai Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shanghai Railway Group) that in the first two months, the Yangtze River Delta China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express saw a strong increase in the number of trips, with a total of 525 trains and 55,000 TEUs shipped, up 27.3% year-over-year. Goods such as complete vehicles, auto parts, and daily chemical products are continuously transported via the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express to relevant countries, making new contributions to global economic and trade development.

In recent years, Shanghai Railway Group has relied on its dense and developed rail network, fully leveraging its connectivity and regional advantages, strengthening cargo organization and capacity allocation, maintaining stable operation of the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express, and steadily increasing its scale. This provides reliable transportation capacity to serve the construction of a new development pattern, stabilize and smooth the global supply chain and industrial chain, and support high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative.

The operational routes have increased to 15, reaching 36 countries across Europe and Asia. Since the first China-Europe (Central Asia) train service launched on September 29, 2013 (Suzhou to Warsaw), after more than ten years of market cultivation, the Yangtze River Delta China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express has grown from 1 route to 15, reaching 36 countries across Europe and Asia. Among them, European destinations include Russia, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, the UK, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine, and others—25 countries in total. Asian destinations include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Georgia, and 11 other countries.

With prominent cost-performance advantages, the variety of goods transported is becoming increasingly diverse. By the end of 2025, the fastest journey from the Yangtze River Delta to Astana, Kazakhstan, will take 9 days; to Hamburg, Germany, about 15 days—about one-third the time of sea freight and one-fifth the cost of air freight. The types of import and export goods carried by the trains are also becoming richer, expanding from small commodities and electronics to textiles, automobiles and parts, machinery equipment, furniture, and more.

Currently, the Yangtze River Delta region has formed a pattern where Yiwu mainly supplies small commodities to European countries; Suzhou mainly supplies electronics and appliances to Hamburg, Germany, and Warsaw, Poland; Hefei mainly supplies white goods and mechanical products to Hamburg. The outbound cargo features include production and living materials for the five Central Asian countries, as well as transit goods such as electronics, appliances, automobiles, and parts. The Asian loading cities for the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express include Lianyungang, Yiwu, Nanjing, Xuzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, Jinhua, among others.

In addition, the return trips of the China-Europe (Central Asia) trains also emphasize “speed, stability, and efficiency,” reshaping the transportation pattern of imported raw materials. Cotton yarn imported from Uzbekistan is transported via the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, supporting local textile production lines. Copper electrolytes from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are transported back to the Shanghai and Zhejiang electronics component manufacturing sectors, becoming an important part of China’s diversified copper raw material supply. Pulp imported from Russia is stably supplied to paper-making enterprises in Anhui and Henan via the trains, effectively alleviating shortages of environmentally friendly virgin wood pulp and further strengthening raw material supply stability.

Promoting trade mutual benefit and win-win cooperation among countries involved in the “Belt and Road” initiative. Since the first China-Europe (Central Asia) train service launched in the Yangtze River Delta in 2013, through the end of 2025, the Yangtze River Delta railways have operated over 32,000 China-Europe (Central Asia) trains, nearly 16,000 to Europe and over 16,000 to Asia. By 2025, the Yangtze River Delta will have operated a total of 5,088 China-Europe (Central Asia) trains, shipping 516,000 TEUs, a 7.3% increase year-over-year. While organizing outbound trains efficiently, Shanghai Railway Group, China Railway Container Company Shanghai Branch, and local governments and departments work together to ensure smooth operation of return trips, bringing high-quality goods such as food, clothing, cosmetics, timber, and mineral products from Eurasian countries into China. The China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express not only promotes free flow of goods but also drives industrial development and economic growth in related countries and regions.

Global goods look to China; Chinese goods look to Yiwu. Driven by globalization and the “Belt and Road” initiative, Yiwu, a city famous worldwide for small commodities, is quietly undergoing a profound transformation. From initially being a manufacturing hub for small commodities to now trading IT products, home textiles, clothing, auto parts, and more, Yiwu is no longer just a distribution center for Chinese small commodities. With the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express as a golden logistics corridor, Yiwu has successfully embarked on a new journey to build a global “Friend Circle,” becoming a trade hub connecting China and the world. Over the past decade, the import and export structure and categories of goods transported via the Yiwu China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway have continuously expanded, with increasing cargo value. Export sources have grown from Yiwu itself to neighboring provinces and regions. Notably, the return trains now increasingly carry high-value goods such as auto parts and machinery. In 2025, Yiwu’s China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway will operate 1,568 trains, shipping 162,000 TEUs, with a year-over-year growth of 13.4%. The number of trains and freight volume have maintained growth for 12 consecutive years. Since the beginning of 2026, Yiwu’s China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway has also experienced strong growth; as of February 28, it has successfully shipped 152 trains with 16,000 TEUs.

From nothing to something, from good to excellent, the Yangtze River Delta China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express, with its strong cargo support, efficient customs clearance, and wide product coverage, has opened a safe, efficient, and convenient international logistics channel for regional trade. A series of “Iron Camel” teams are helping Chinese manufacturing go abroad and providing cooperation opportunities for countries building the “Belt and Road,” effectively serving the needs of enterprises and the public in various countries. (Tian Mo Chi, Hu Xiao Wei)

Source: JiaoHuiDian News