A freight train departs from Yiwu West Railway Station in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 9, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

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

In the period, the trains carried a total of 1.57 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, up 11 percent year-on-year, according to the state railway operator.

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 a cross-Caspian Sea international transport corridor.

Currently, the China-Europe freight trains serve 226 cities in 25 countries in Europe.

According to customs data, the China-Laos railway had handled 10 million tons of cross-border freight as of September 16 since operations started 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 on Sunday via cold-chain logistics.

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

The trip marked the fourth consecutive year that CIIE exhibition products have been transported to Shanghai via the China-Europe freight train service.

Global Times