An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 17, 2025 shows a China-Europe freight train departing from the Xi'an international port station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)
BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The China-Europe freight trains have boosted economic vitality along its routes, injected fresh impetus into global growth, and continued to embrace broad development prospects, according to a report released recently on the development of China-Europe freight trains in 2025.
-- Improving transport efficiency
The China-Europe freight trains have seen a notable rise in transport efficiency.
The recently launched first fast-line service from central China's Henan Province (Zhengzhou-Hamburg) completed the cross-border segment in just 11 days, about 30 percent faster than regular services.
This improvement owns to the fourth batch of full-journey timetables introduced by China State Railway Group, adding seven new routes, including the one from Zhengzhou to Hamburg, Germany.
So far, 17 routes of the China-Europe freight trains are operated under the full-journey timetable, with over 1,000 trips made annually, serving 9 cities in China and 6 cities in Europe.
In addition, the full-journey timetable service has significantly reduced the journey time of China-Europe freight trains, said a representative from the freight transport department of China State Railway Group. The company will continue to align with market demand, deepen international cooperation, and improve operating quality.
-- Stimulating economic vitality
As a key logistics artery linking Asia and Europe, the China-Europe freight trains have not only expanded its transport volume, but also made solid progress in service quality, operational efficiency, and industrial development.
In the import goods supermarket in Zhengzhou East Station, travelers can purchase goods from countries along the routes of the China-Europe freight trains. According to Chen Han, chairmen of Zhongyu Port Group, the company has opened 10 such supermarkets across the province, improving access to imported products.
Meanwhile, the service has boosted industrial clustering. Supported by the freight trains, Zhengzhou has built an integrated industrial ecosystem covering automobiles, meat and grains across multiple ports. Customized trains for Aeolus tyres, Xinyang green tea, and Yutong buses, which are aligned with Henan's industrial strengths, have helped local products to go global.
Data from the 2025 China-Europe freight trains development report shows that the China-Europe freight trains had made 118,600 trips by October 2025, transporting 11.7 million TEUs, and reaching 232 cities in 26 European countries. Looking ahead, China will work with countries along the routes to strengthen open cooperation, deepen connectivity, and jointly advance the high-quality development of the China-Europe freight trains.
(Edited by Yang Linlin with Xinhua Silk Road, linlinyanglyn@163.com)
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