Xi'an, December 10th (Xinhua) -- Diversification and Public Transportation: China Europe freight trains make cross-border trade faster and more efficient

Xinhua News Agency reporters He Zhanjun, Jiang Chenrong, Zhang Bin

Recently, the first fully scheduled China Europe freight train (Xi'an Budapest) was loaded with electronic products, car parts, daily necessities, and other goods. After a 10 day and 23 hour journey, it arrived in Budapest.

With the operation of this train, Xi'an has become the first city in China to achieve the normalization of the operation of three full timetable China Europe train routes, forming a weekly "six to three" schedule. At present, the total number of China Europe freight trains running on the timetable has reached 17, increasing to over 1000 trains per year, covering 9 cities in China and 6 cities in Europe.

The first CHINA RAILWAY Express in 2011 is a container international railway intermodal train between China and Europe and countries jointly built along the "the Belt and Road". As of the end of November, the total number of China Europe freight trains has exceeded 120000, with a value of over 490 billion US dollars in goods shipped. At present, 128 cities in China have opened China Europe freight trains, connecting 232 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.

On November 30th, the China Europe freight train from Chongqing to Budapest, Hungary, was waiting to depart at the Tuanjie Village Central Station in Chongqing (drone photo). Photo by Tang Yi, Xinhua News Agency reporter

As a landmark logistics channel for high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road", from the original drilling equipment and textile products to 53 categories and more than 50000 kinds of goods, it helps Chinese manufacturers go to sea and bring back global goods. Over the past decade, the China Europe freight train has built a bridge for two-way travel and win-win cooperation on the Eurasian continent.

By strengthening international cooperation and optimizing transportation organization, the round-trip freight volume of China Europe freight trains has achieved a basic balance, with a comprehensive heavy container rate of 100%. The domestic and international freight prices of the trains have decreased by more than 40% compared to the initial operation, effectively reducing international logistics costs, "said Guo Zhuxue, Chairman of China Railway Group.

As a fully scheduled train with fixed train numbers, operating routes, schedules, and operating times, the transportation time is shorter than that of ordinary China Europe trains by reasonably controlling key operational links such as port station replacement and handover.

The entire timetable of the China Europe freight train has optimized the overall transportation efficiency, increasing it by 30% compared to before, providing us with strong support for expanding into the European market. As a loyal user of the China Europe freight train, Li Na, the general manager of Beijing Trans Eurasia International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., said that clear arrival and departure times help customers accurately arrange production, sales, and warehousing plans, greatly reducing capital pressure. At the same time, customs clearance and overseas pickup matters can be arranged in advance, effectively reducing various costs.

The operation of public transportation and real-time price disclosure will help 'Made in China' explore the European market and make it more convenient for high-quality European products to enter China, "said Li Baozhou, director of the Xi'an West Station Command Center. In addition, the value of European freight trains is higher in the entire timetable. According to statistics, the average single container cargo value of the China Europe freight train in the entire timetable has increased by 41% compared to the ordinary China Europe freight train.

On November 28th, at the International Railway Port in Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu, the X8086 China Europe freight train is about to depart. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi

While constantly pursuing speed and punctuality, the China Europe freight train also continues to diversify its development. As the number of frequent passengers on the China Europe freight train continues to increase, milk, red wine, ham, and honey come from afar; Pomegranates, kiwis, bananas... To ensure the "safe journey" of these fresh products, the China Europe freight train specially operates cold chain trains. During transportation, the cabinet is fully sealed and the temperature is maintained within the set range. Real time feedback data is provided through a remote monitoring system to ensure that the goods are in the best freshness condition.

Jeff Molinales, the sales director of healthcare transportation at the Dutch New Silk Road Logistics Company, said that the transported drugs are extremely sensitive to time and temperature, and the China Europe freight train can meet the needs of enterprises to explore both European and Asian markets, bringing new opportunities for the development of the Dutch pharmaceutical industry.

Not only can it transport goods, but it can also carry culture. In the first half of this year, the China Central Asia International Cultural Tourism Special Train (Xi'an Almaty section) was launched for the first time. On the speeding train, the staff and passengers gathered around the table, folding leaves, putting glutinous rice, adding red dates, covering rice, wrapping cotton thread, and one by one plump Zongzi gradually took shape.

During the trip, various activities such as intangible cultural heritage skill exhibitions, cultural and creative product production, and traditional Chinese medicine experiences were held along the way to attract local people to participate, making this steel Silk Road shoulder a new mission of promoting cultural exchange.

Diversity and integration have gradually become the development tone of China Europe freight trains. In January of this year, the first fully timed green cross-border e-commerce special train in China set sail from Xi'an International Port Station, heading towards Duisburg, Germany. This is the first China Europe freight train in the country to transport goods through 'full timetable train+low-carbon green train+cross-border e-commerce'. The transportation cost is about one-fifth of the previous air freight. At the same time, the train uses clean energy, "said Shao Bol, General Manager of Xi'an International Land Port Group Multimodal Transport Company.

From a single logistics channel to multiple platforms, the China Europe Railway Express (Xi'an) is continuously shortening the distance between the Asian and European continents through diversified development and public transportation services. In the future, this intercontinental corridor will continue to carry the vision of win-win cooperation, drive two-way growth, and create more new opportunities for international cooperation.

Editor: Han Xiaoning