A China-Europe freight train departs from Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province in August. Photo: CNSphoto

The number of China-Europe freight trains rose significantly in August, to hit a record 1,247 trains, up 62 percent year-on-year, according to the China State Railway Group.

It marks the fourth month in a row that the figure surpassed 1,000 and the sixth consecutive month that it enjoyed double-digit growth, the Global Times was told.

The freight trains have played a crucial role in helping stabilize the international logistics supply chain, with containers sent by the trains soaring 66 percent to 113,000 twenty-foot equivalent units last month, it said.

The number of departing trains and returning trains both climbed 60 percent year-on-year in August. The number of departing trains rose 74 percent year-on-year to 724 in July, while the number of returning trains climbed 60 percent year-on-year to 508, according to China State Railway Group.

Demand for China-Europe freight trains has shown strong momentum as China's economy has rapidly recovered from the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Global Times