China has focused on increasing the number of freight trains to Europe in recent years while improving its services' efficiency and quality. Railway transportation is usually the most cost-effective way of shipping goods between China and Europe due to its lower operational costs. Compared to sea transport China-Europe railway transportation is very fast and efficient. It takes only 15-20 days to deliver goods from China to Europe and vice versa.
Last month, China Railway Urumqi Group, which operates services in Xinjiang, adjusted the timetable for freight trains between China and Europe to continue running during the Chinese New Year celebrations at the end of January. Improved efficiency and shorter waiting times for freight trains at the border should also be helped by better cooperation with customs, which should make greater use of digital services and share information better. At the Alataw Pass, for example, the clearance time for trains from China to Europe has been reduced to five hours. This station has recently been handling around 16 freight trains a day bound for Europe.
The increase in rail freight traffic was recently reported by local authorities in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. More than 4,700 international freight train journeys were handled here in 2022, an increase of 12% from the previous year. The city's international freight train service, which began in 2013, will increase Sichuan's average import and export volume by more than US$ 12 billion annually between 2013 and 2022. During this period, the Chengdu International Rail Port will see more than 20,000 international freight train trips, connecting with more than 130 cities around the world.
China's Guizhou Province is also busy, with more than 35,000 tonnes of goods shipped via the China-Europe freight train service since its launch in November 2021.
