According to China Railway, the China-Europe Railway Express achieved strong growth in the first quarter of 2026. Railway authorities continued to strengthen international cooperation, optimize cross-border transportation organization, and improve logistics service quality and efficiency. During the period, the China-Europe Railway Express operated a total of 5,460 trains, transporting 546,000 TEUs of cargo, representing year-on-year increases of 29% and 22% respectively.
The China-Europe Railway Express network continued to expand in 2026. Railway authorities have established 93 scheduled domestic routes for China-Europe freight trains while developing diversified overseas transport corridors to provide customers with more flexible cross-border logistics options. Currently, the China-Europe Railway Express connects 235 cities across 26 European countries, with service coverage extending throughout the Eurasian continent.
In terms of customs clearance efficiency, railway authorities have optimized border port operations and improved train exchange capacity. Through closer cooperation with customs authorities, the "Railway Fast Clearance" model and the China Railway 95306 digital logistics platform have been widely promoted, significantly improving customs clearance efficiency. At major border ports, clearance time has been reduced to less than 30 minutes in the shortest cases. During the first quarter, train operations through the western, central and eastern corridors increased by 19%, 26% and 49% year-on-year respectively.
Meanwhile, China Railway has further upgraded China-Europe rail freight products. A total of 22 China-Europe Railway Express services per week now operate under full-route scheduled timetable arrangements, connecting nine Chinese cities with six European cities. Compared with conventional China-Europe freight trains on the same routes, these services reduce total transit time by more than 30%, while the average cargo value per container has increased by 41%, attracting growing attention from the international logistics market.
In addition, railway authorities have developed international rail-road multimodal transport solutions based on railway multimodal bills of lading. These services support door-to-door logistics between China and neighboring countries without direct railway access, combining railway transportation with road feeder services. Operated by railway logistics companies as integrated logistics providers, these solutions offer one-stop settlement, flexible customs clearance procedures, reliable transit times, and full-process shipment tracking, providing global customers with safer, more stable and efficient cross-border logistics options.
