The X9041 train leaves Xi'an International Port for Kazakhstan in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 13, 2021. Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Tuesday saw the 1,000th China-Europe freight train trip this year. Photo: Xinhua

China saw 1,352 China-Europe freight transported in July, up 8 percent year-on-year, making more than 1,000 train runs in a single month for 15 consecutive months, according to data from China Railway.

The number of freight runs has guaranteed stability and smooth flow of the international industrial supply routes, China Railway said in a released sent to the Global Times on Friday. 

In July, 215,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) items weighing at 1,257 tons were delivered, the railway department said.

The railway department said it is accelerating the expansion and renovation projects in Manzhouli in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Alashankou in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in a bid to increase transport capacity and operational efficiency.

The China-Europe freight traffic volume via the west, central and east corridors increased by 44 percent, 18 percent, and 35 percent respectively year-on-year in the first seven months of this year, the department said.

Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Wednesday handled the 10,000th China-Europe freight train trip. Since the launch of the China-Europe freight train service in the city in 2013, 15 routes from Xi'an have been launched, linking Xi'an with cities in 44 countries and regions.

Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a major hub for China-Europe freight trains, saw 1,359 trips over the first half of the year, up over 50 percent year on year, according to local authorities.

The import and export values of goods transported by China-Europe freight trains surpassed 20 billion yuan ($3.09 billion) via the border port of Erenhot in Inner Mongolia, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local railway authorities.

The number of China-Europe freight trains via the port has reached 7,187 at the end of July, carrying 610,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) worth of goods.

China-Europe rail freight boosts stability, efficiency, wide coverage, and is largely unaffected by seasonality and climate, and it has become a major bridge connecting Eurasia, according to market watchers. 

Global Times