Although separated by mountains and seas, China and Central and Eastern European countries remain closely connected. As the ancient Silk Road enters a new era, the friendship and cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries continue to flourish, supported by deep traditional ties and fruitful local exchanges. The Jinan China-Europe Railway Express has become an important channel and bridge for this cooperation.
On May 25, the Seventh China-CEEC Local Leaders’ Meeting and the 2026 Shandong International Sister Cities Cooperation and Exchange Week opened in Jinan under the theme of "Working Together Toward a Shared Future." In recent years, Shandong Hi-Speed Group has achieved significant results in operating the province’s China-Europe Railway Express services, ranking first among eastern coastal provinces in terms of train volume. With the establishment of a Central and Eastern European consolidation center in Serbia and an overseas branch company in Hungary, economic and trade exchanges between Jinan and Central and Eastern European countries have become increasingly active. In particular, since the launch of Shandong’s first full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express service in Jinan in November 2025, cooperation has entered a new stage.
In 2022, Shandong officially became the Chinese chairing province of the China-CEEC Local Leaders’ Association. Since then, cooperation between Shandong and Central and Eastern European regions has continued to deepen and achieved remarkable results, which is strongly reflected through the development of the Jinan China-Europe Railway Express.
According to customs supervision data from Quancheng Customs, since 2022, major exports from Jinan to Central and Eastern European countries via China-Europe Railway Express have included mechanical and electrical products, clothing and accessories, plastic products, textile yarns and related products, and toys. Major destination countries include Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Imports from Central and Eastern Europe mainly include mechanical and electrical products, plastic products, steel products, unwrought aluminum and aluminum materials, and agricultural products, with Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Romania being major sources.
A representative from Shandong Hi-Speed Qilu International Land Port Development Co., Ltd. stated that outbound trains mainly transport goods from Shandong manufacturing enterprises, while also collecting cargo from surrounding regions such as the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei areas. Major cargo categories include Hisense home appliance components, Wanhua Chemical products, steel coils, automotive parts, tires, solar modules, clothing, and seasonal decorative products, covering key industrial clusters in Shandong and high-quality manufacturing resources across China.
In 2025, China confirmed that Shandong would continue serving as the Chinese chairing province of the China-CEEC Local Leaders’ Association and host the Seventh China-CEEC Local Leaders’ Meeting. In November of that year, cooperation between Jinan and Central and Eastern European countries achieved a historic breakthrough. During the Second China-Europe Railway Express International Cooperation Forum held in Xi’an, China Railway officially announced new full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express services, including the Jinan–Budapest route. This became the first full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express line in Shandong, carrying major significance for the province’s deeper participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. Just two days later, the first train departed successfully from Jinan Dongjia International Railway Freight Center.
According to China Railway’s freight department, a full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express service refers to trains operated according to agreed train numbers, routes, schedules, and fixed departure, border crossing, and arrival times along the entire route, achieving integrated timetable coordination across China, broad-gauge railway sections, and European railway networks.
"The advantage of the full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express is that, like buses and passenger trains, it operates at fixed times and on fixed schedules. This provides companies with stable and predictable transportation expectations, allowing them to organize production and business activities more efficiently," said an official from the Jinan Port and Logistics Office.
The Jinan–Budapest full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express service exits China through the Alashankou railway port. The entire journey takes approximately 12 days, with one train operating every two weeks, departing on Thursdays during the second and fourth weeks of each month. According to Shandong Hi-Speed Group, 14 trains of this service have been operated so far.
The Mettrans container terminal in Budapest, one of the main European destinations of the Shandong China-Europe Railway Express, is located in District 21 of southern Budapest (Csepel Island). The terminal has eight railway tracks, four gantry cranes, and a daily handling capacity of 8–10 trains, with storage capacity of 2,000 TEUs. After arrival, cargo can be further distributed to major destinations including Belgrade, Bucharest, Dunajská Streda, Koper, and Krems.
Since its launch, the Jinan Europe-bound rail transportation network has significantly improved efficiency. Through measures such as priority train formation, priority dispatching, and priority departure arrangements, the full-route scheduled service ensures cargo transportation according to fixed dates, schedules, and train numbers. Compared with conventional China-Europe Railway Express services, transportation time has been reduced by approximately 30%.
Industry analysts believe that the Jinan full-route scheduled service represents an upgraded version of the China-Europe Railway Express. It marks Shandong’s transition from pursuing transportation volume growth toward improving service quality and operational efficiency, demonstrating the province’s commitment to high-quality development of China-Europe rail logistics.
To ensure efficient customs clearance and on-time operation, Jinan Customs has utilized enterprise service mechanisms such as "Customs Enterprise Direct Communication" and "Quancheng Enterprise Support" to provide policy guidance and customs assistance in advance. Meanwhile, Jinan has strengthened coordination among ports, promoted railway rapid clearance models, and achieved seamless integration between local supervision and border release. Through railway supervision facilities, the city has created one-stop customs clearance services, simplified declaration and inspection procedures, and implemented dedicated service teams to ensure cargo is inspected, released, and transferred immediately upon arrival.
In terms of overseas warehouse and international distribution network development, Jinan is relying on the overseas consolidation center established in Inđija, Serbia, to further improve warehousing, distribution, and customs clearance functions. The city is building a service system integrating "China-Europe Railway Express + overseas warehouse + last-mile delivery" to provide genuine door-to-door logistics solutions.
The regular operation of full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express services has further strengthened Jinan’s role as a national logistics hub and enhanced Shandong’s position in the Belt and Road Initiative. According to Shandong Hi-Speed Group, in the first four months of this year, Jinan China-Europe Railway Express operated 439 trains (352 natural trains), representing a year-on-year increase of 64.4%.
Meanwhile, Jinan’s foreign trade import and export volume reached RMB 101.37 billion in the first four months of this year, increasing 27.7% year-on-year. The growth rate was 24.1 percentage points higher than the provincial average, ranking first in Shandong Province. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached RMB 63.5 billion, up 24.9%.
Moving forward, relevant parties will continue optimizing the operation organization of the Jinan–Budapest full-route scheduled China-Europe Railway Express service. While maintaining the current biweekly schedule and stable transportation performance, efforts will be made to gradually increase service frequency and establish a higher-frequency regular operation model. At the same time, conventional China-Europe Railway Express services will continue stable operation, achieving coordinated development through improved premium services and reliable capacity supply. By aligning with international standards and improving customs clearance efficiency and multimodal transportation organization, Jinan and Shandong will further integrate into global industrial, supply chain, and value chain networks.
