At 23:00 on December 20, Xi’an International Port Station was brightly illuminated as train X8159, loaded with electronic products, auto parts and daily commodities, slowly departed for Budapest, Hungary.
This marked the launch of Xi’an’s third China-Europe Railway Express full-route timetable service, following the existing routes to Duisburg and Prague.
Since November 22, train X8159 has operated every Saturday at 23:00, arriving in Budapest on schedule after a journey of 10 days and 23 hours. Compared with conventional China-Europe Railway Express services, the new route improves transportation efficiency by nearly 30%.
“First, it is punctual. Second, it is fast.” Li Na, General Manager of Beijing Cross Eurasia International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., a long-term partner of the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an), praised the new service.
“Fixed departure and arrival schedules create real economic value for companies. They allow enterprises to better arrange production, sales and inventory plans while significantly reducing capital tied up in logistics,” Li said. The predictable schedule also enables companies to prepare customs clearance and overseas delivery arrangements in advance, reducing additional costs.
After the launch of the first full-route timetable China-Europe Railway Express service from Xi’an to Budapest, Li Na immediately booked capacity to transport a shipment of auto parts to Hungary.
As an important logistics hub in Central and Eastern Europe, Budapest provides convenient distribution access to neighboring countries including Slovakia, Austria and Serbia. “This route opens the door to the wider Central and Eastern European market,” Li said.
“The regular operation of the Xi’an-Budapest China-Europe Railway Express route provides a faster logistics channel for Chinese manufacturing products entering the European market, while also making European products more accessible to Chinese consumers,” said Li Baozhou, Director of the Xi’an West Railway Station Command Center of China Railway Xi’an Group.
Efficient and reliable logistics channels are giving companies greater confidence in expanding overseas markets.
On the northern route, the full-route timetable China-Europe Railway Express service has become a benchmark for operational upgrades, enhancing Xi’an’s international logistics capacity and supporting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
On the southern route, the China-Kazakhstan “hub-to-hub” cooperation model is creating new momentum for cross-border logistics.
“In the past, communication depended mainly on international calls and video meetings, and Kazakhstan partners played a more supporting role. Now they are deeply involved in train operations, with much greater enthusiasm and participation,” said Li Guodong, Site Manager of China-Kazakhstan (Xi’an) Trade and Logistics Co., Ltd.
Following the China-Central Asia Xi’an Summit, China and Kazakhstan have developed innovative cooperation models, establishing modern logistics facilities in both countries and moving beyond traditional transit-based economic activities.
“The Kazakhstan Xi’an Logistics Terminal serves both as an overseas warehouse established by Kazakhstan in Xi’an and as an important window for showcasing Kazakhstan’s products,” said Yuan Xiaojun, General Manager of Xi’an International Port Group.
Through this terminal, Xi’an International Port Group has strengthened cooperation with Kazakhstan Railway Express.
“Kazakhstan representatives now work permanently in Xi’an, and Chinese and Kazakh employees share the same office. Many issues can be solved immediately through direct communication,” Li Guodong said.
This close cooperation has significantly reduced communication costs and enabled Kazakhstan Railway Express to provide more resources and operational support for the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an). Customs inspections, border transfers and approval procedures have been further streamlined. To date, the Kazakhstan Xi’an Logistics Terminal has handled, transferred and distributed more than 250,000 tons of cargo.
In June, the China-Xi’an Kazakhstan Terminal in Almaty officially started operation, reducing border transfer time from three to four days to just three hours and significantly boosting the growth of Trans-Caspian China-Europe Railway Express services.
“The establishment of the two terminals represents an upgrade from the traditional relay-style transportation model to comprehensive hub-to-hub cooperation, making the circular movement of loaded containers a reality,” Yuan said.
Over the past decade, the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an) network has continued to expand, with more diversified routes, denser connections and higher operating frequency. It has become a key international logistics corridor supporting Shaanxi’s opening-up strategy and serving nationwide trade.
Currently, the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an) operates 18 major routes covering the Eurasian continent, attracting cargo from 26 provinces across China. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the service has operated more than 23,000 trains, transporting over 22 million tons of cargo. Key indicators including train volume, freight volume and loaded container return rates continue to rank among the highest nationwide.
Thousands of “Steel Camel Team” trains loaded with goods continue to travel across Eurasia, delivering “Made in China” products to global markets while bringing high-quality international goods back to China.
Relying on the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an), Aiju Group has established a dedicated railway line connecting directly to its industrial park at Xi’an Chanba International Port, enabling door-to-door transportation and significantly improving logistics efficiency while reducing costs.
“Come and try this bowl of Xi’an oil-splashed noodles. The flour was transported back from Kazakhstan,” said a chef at Aiju Healthy Life Experience Center on December 19, where visitors gathered to experience products connected by the China-Europe Railway Express.
Leveraging the development opportunities brought by the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an), this Shaanxi-based company has established three major industrial parks in North Kazakhstan, Alashankou in Xinjiang and Xi’an Chanba International Port, creating a complete supply chain from farmland to dining tables.
With the development of the China-Europe Railway Express (Xi’an), Xi’an’s international expansion continues to accelerate.
The logistics advantages brought by the China-Europe Railway Express have attracted more enterprises to settle in Xi’an, strengthening the vitality of the Xi’an international trade and logistics ecosystem.
Xi’an Chanba International Port, for example, has attracted more than 4,800 companies in bulk commodity trading and cross-border e-commerce. Annual commodity transaction value is expected to exceed RMB 360 billion. Leading companies including Konka and Germany’s Knorr have also established operations in the area.
“During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will focus on serving high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, accelerate the development of national collection centers for Central Asia and Trans-Caspian routes, expand overseas logistics facilities in countries including Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Hungary, and upgrade international logistics networks toward multi-node hub-to-hub cooperation,” Yuan Xiaojun said.
Late at night, another China-Europe Railway Express train sounded its horn and departed from Xi’an International Port Station.
From the ancient Silk Road camel bells to today’s railway whistles, the “Steel Camel Team” carries not only goods, but also trust and opportunities. Along the expanding railways across Eurasia lie closer markets, stronger connections and a new chapter of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
