The Iron Camel Caravan Across Mountains And Oceans Added Impetus To The World Economy

The China-Europe railway connects 227 cities in 25 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, carrying more than 11 million TEUS of goods with a value of more than 420 billion US dollars

 

Across the mountains and oceans, the "Iron camel" has added impetus to the world economy

A container frontal crane works at Duisburg station in Germany.

At 9:10 am local time on December 3, the 100,000th China-Europe train X8083 from Chongqing, China, crossed the vast Eurasian continent and successfully arrived in Duisburg, Germany. Electronic equipment, auto parts and household appliances from China will be distributed from Duisburg, an important inland transport hub, to all parts of Europe.
 

After more than 10 years of development, the China-Europe railway network has become increasingly dense, connecting 227 cities in 25 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, carrying more than 11 million TEUS of cargo worth more than 420 billion US dollars. The "Iron Camel train" is a vivid example of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It has not only opened up a new pattern of international transport between Asia and Europe, but also added a steady stream of driving force to world economic development.

 

Quantity and quality rise, line diversity
"Golden age of China-Europe train service"

 

"I still vividly remember the arrival of the first China-Europe train in Duisburg in 2011." Markus Bann, CEO of Duisburg Port Group, said that in March 2014, the China-Europe freight train entered the "fast track" of development. For more than 10 years, the Duisburg Port Group has enjoyed fruitful cooperation with its Chinese partners, extending the cooperation beyond traditional logistics to port construction, warehousing services and other fields.
 

Thanks to the China-Europe freight train, the industrial city of Duisburg has gained a new lease of life and has become an important rail, road and waterway hub and one of Europe's major freight hubs, attracting more than 100 logistics and trading companies. The expansion and prosperity of the terminal led to employment growth, with more than 20,000 jobs created in the logistics sector alone.
 

Chang Haitao, acting Consul General of China in Dusseldorf, said that the China-Europe Railway has provided affordable and efficient all-weather logistics solutions for Asia-Europe trade exchanges, brought high-quality and inexpensive Chinese goods to millions of European households, and attracted a large number of e-commerce enterprises to settle in Duisburg and other cities, which has strongly promoted the industrial transformation and economic and social development of cities along the line.
 

Thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, the connectivity of the countries along the China-Europe Railway route has been greatly improved, the development of diversified routes has been steadily advanced, and the railway service network basically covers the entire territory of Asia and Europe. "China-europe freight trains have ushered in the Golden Age", Germany's Konstorfer Economic information network recently reported on the title of China-Europe freight trains. According to the article, 2024 is a bumper year for rail transportation. Due to rising sea freight costs, international rail freight, especially China-Europe freight trains, is gaining more market share. Take the Trans-Caspian international transport corridor linking China, Central Asia and Europe, for example. In the first half of this year, freight volume on this route increased by 65% compared with the same period last year.
 

The German Trans-Eurasia Company, based in Duisburg, has benefited greatly from the high-quality development of the China-Europe Express. Marcel Stein, CEO of the company, said that compared with 2023, the frequency of train operation this year has increased, and the freight volume has increased. "As the China-Europe railway covers more European cities and customers, the transport efficiency and stability of the railway continue to be optimized, the customer's trust in the company has been effectively improved, and the company's business has grown significantly." "Stein said.

 

Through extensive consultation, joint construction and mutual benefit
"It's a huge opportunity for many companies."

 

 

The town of Radar Donaust, located in Slovakia's border region with Austria and Hungary, is home to a multimodal terminal operated by Metlang, a subsidiary of Hamburg Port & Logistics AG. Even at night, cranes can still be seen shuttling back and forth in this all-weather operation of the freight yard, and the spotlights of the gantry crane flicker from time to time.

 

"In 2020, Metran carried 30,000 TEU via the China-Europe trains, and in 2023 this figure rose to 40,000 TEU. I believe the freight volume will continue to grow in the future." Martin Kubek, director of the China-Europe freight train business of Metlan Company, told this reporter that in order to adapt to the growth needs of Eurasian logistics business, the company is building two new freight stations in Hungary, "The development potential of China-Europe freight train is huge, I am full of confidence."

 

At present, the product supply of China-Europe Express trains is increasingly optimized, and the service capacity is constantly upgraded. Under the promotion of China National Railway Group Co., LTD., 17 China-Europe express trains are scheduled every week, including Xi 'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Yiwu, Wuhan, Guangzhou to Duisburg, Lodz, Poland, Warsaw and other routes. Due to the stable transportation time expectancy, the competitiveness of China-Europe freight trains in the international freight market has been significantly enhanced, attracting a large number of high value-added cargo sources.

 

For the "fast" of the Central Europe train, Peter Smigiella, business director of the Polish global Logistics Agency, shared a small story with reporters. "On one occasion, a client whose container arrived in Poland from China in just 10 days via the China-Europe railway told me that the speed was too fast and his customs clearance forms hadn't been ready yet." A few years ago, the company felt the transport advantages of the China-Europe freight train and set up a special railway transport department. Over the past few years, the rapid development of the company's business has made Smigiella very emotional, "The Central Europe railway is an excellent choice for the Eurasian continent transport scheme, and it is a huge development opportunity for many enterprises." Now more and more customers come to inquire and purchase services, so we are overwhelmed."

 

From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from the Danube River to the Rhine River, more and more carriers, logistics service providers and transport platform enterprises have seized the opportunity of high-quality development of China-Europe railway services, actively engaged in the construction of trans-Asia-Europe logistics and transport network, integrated the construction of transit stations and branch lines of China-Europe railway services with their own development, and achieved better service quality and efficiency through consultation and joint construction. At the same time, many new logistics, industrial, trade centers and industrial parks have also been born, providing a large number of jobs for local people.

 

The way to happiness, the way to prosperity
"Has played an important role in driving the economic development of countries along the route"

 

Jointly building the Belt and Road, promoting relevant countries and regions to better integrate into an open world economy and enhancing connectivity on the Eurasian continent, has increasingly become a "road to happiness" for the people of all countries and a "road to prosperity" for the whole world.
 

"In 2023, the number of containers carried by the Group from China and other Asian countries increased by 20%, and the annual operating income increased by 8% to 1.4 billion euros." Ivan Milicevic, director of multimodal transport business of Nair Group in Serbia, told reporters that Nair Group has actively engaged in the operation of China-Europe freight trains in recent years and is committed to innovation and digital transformation of the logistics industry.
 

Milicevic believes that the construction of the Trans-Caspian international transport corridor will further consolidate Serbia's position as an important link between Asia and Europe. To accommodate the growing presence of this transport corridor, the Nairt Group is investing €100 million to expand capacity, optimize logistics and automate its Donovzi logistics centre in the west of Belgrade. "Nairt Group will seize the high-quality development opportunities of the China-Europe Express, provide customers in Southeast Europe with complete end-to-end supply chain solutions, and support the continuous development of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in the Balkans." "Milicevich said.
 

The China-Europe Railway has opened up a new channel for European producers and traders to enter the Chinese market, and more and more goods from countries along the route are entering the Chinese market on the China-Europe railway. "The longest route we operate is the 'Yixinou' route from Yiwu in China to Madrid in Spain, covering a distance of more than 13,000 kilometers." Jorgen Huschka, executive director of the Eurasia region of the international transport enterprise British Rail Rui Company, headquartered in Switzerland, told this reporter that British Rail Rui has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, and maintains close cooperation with Wuhan, Yiwu, Chongqing and other cities from which the China-Europe railway train originated, "and Chinese partners to develop hand in hand, I am very confident about future business growth."
 

The multimodal transport mode of the China-Europe Express has also enhanced the elasticity of the supply chain and promoted the coordinated development of the regional industrial chain. Germany's BMW Group transported key components to the Shenyang factory in China through the China-Europe train, and shipped finished cars back to the European market through the train, achieving an efficient closed loop of the industrial chain. Well-known European car companies such as Porsche and Audi have also shipped European finished cars and parts to China through China-Europe freight trains, which has promoted efficient cooperation in transnational supply chains. "The China-Europe Express trains have played an important role in driving the economic development of the countries along the routes." Hanes Ferner, director of the Institute of China and Southeast Asia in Austria, said that in the current challenges of global logistics and supply chain stability, the China-Europe train has played a role of "stabilizer" and has broad prospects for future development.