China-Europe freight trains carried 1.57 million TEUs in Jan-Sep

A total of 14,689 China-Europe freight trains operated from January to September this year, up 13 per cent year-on-year, China State Railway Group Co announced on Monday.

During the period, the trains carried a total of 1.57 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, up 11 per cent year on year, the state railway operator said.

In September alone, the trains made 1,633 trips and carried 171,000 TEUs of cargo. Since January, the number of China-Europe rail freight trips has exceeded 1,600 for seven consecutive months.

The railway operator said that it has intensified efforts to increase throughput at ports and transportation channels and improve clearance efficiency, and it has also actively participated in the construction of the cross-Caspian Sea international transport corridor.

At present, China-Europe freight trains serve 226 cities in 25 European countries.

According to customs data, as of September 16, the China-Laos railway has handled 10 million tonnes of cross-border freight since it started operations in December 2021. As an example of tapping the international trade artery and boosting regional trade, the first batch of fresh bananas from Laos arrived in Beijing via cold chain logistics on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, the first “Jinbo” China-Europe freight train for 2024 arrived in Shanghai, carrying exhibits for the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), one of the country’s largest trade fairs, to be held in early November, according to local media.