China-Europe freight train service surpasses 90,000 departures

China-Europe freight train service surpasses 90,000 departures

With increasing volumes of cargo being experienced on our direct LCL and FCL rail freight services between China and the UK, Davies Turner notes a report in Beijing's Global Times that a train, which departed from Xi'an recently, bound for Malaszewicze, Poland, marked a significant milestone as the total number of China-Europe freight train trips surpassed 90,000.

The report states that to date, China-Europe freight trains have transported more than 8.7 million teu of goods, valued at USD380 billion, according to China State Railway Group Co, Ltd, reports Xinhua.

From 2016 to 2023, the annual number of China-Europe freight train trips surged from 1,702 to over 17,000. The value of goods transported by this service skyrocketed from USD8 billion in 2016 to USD56.7 billion in 2023.

The types of goods transported on the China-Europe freight trains have expanded from IT products such as laptops and printers at the beginning to over 50,000 different types, including clothing and footwear, automobiles and parts, daily necessities, food, timber, furniture, chemicals and machinery.

Since 2023, an increasing number of Chinese-made "tech-intensive green trio" products - lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaic products, and NEVs - have been transported through the China-Europe freight trains, reflecting strong market demand, said China State Railway Group Co, Ltd.

So far, the China-Europe freight trains have reached 223 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in eleven Asian countries, with the service network covering almost the entire Eurasian continent, it added.

Davies Turner’s own dedicated twice-weekly LCL Express China rail freight service is currently achieving an average 20 days transit time from departed X'ian to arrival UK port. Originally launched in 2018, the operation remains the only direct intermodal consolidation service between China and UK.

On departure from X'ian, the rail service heads direct to Duisburg in Germany. Containers are then trucked under bond to Rotterdam for transport by ferry to Purfleet, then on-carried by truck (still secure in the same container) to Davies Turner’s regional distribution centres across the UK, where they are discharged, customs cleared and delivered to final destination.

We also offer a dedicated weekly consol service by rail from the UK to China, which provides clients with a scaled tariff for export rail shipments - so the more you ship, the more you save!

For more information about our Express China rail freight services, please contact rail@daviesturner.co.uk or visit https://www.daviesturner.com/rail