China sees expanding China-Europe freight rail services

China-Europe freight rail services have expanded in the first eight months of the year with 5,266 trips made during the period, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

A China-Europe freight train leaves the Qingbaijiang Railway Port in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, April 26, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The number of trips from China to Europe reached 2,845 with a total of 250,000 standard-sized shipping containers, while figures from Europe to China stood at 2,421 with 210,000 containers, data from the company showed.

As China-Europe freight trains are three times faster than shipping by sea and cost just one-fifth of air transportation, the service is widely favored in the international market, said an official with the company.

Since the debut of the China-Europe freight rail service in 2011, the number of trips made between the two regions skyrocketed from 17 to 6,300 in 2018.

The China-Europe rail service is considered a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and is expected to boost trade between China and Europe, China's largest trading partner.