CCTV.com News: In June 2016, international freight train services including Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe, Chengdu-Xinjiang-Europe, Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe, and Wuhan-Xinjiang-Europe officially adopted the unified brand name China-Europe Railway Express. Over the past decade, the China-Europe Railway Express has achieved significant improvements in operational scale, network coverage, service quality, and economic impact, with its transportation network now covering most of Eurasia. According to data released by China State Railway Group on June 19, the annual number of China-Europe Railway Express services has increased 10.8 times over the past decade.
The annual number of China-Europe Railway Express trains increased from 1,702 in 2016 to 20,022 in 2025, representing a 10.8-fold increase over ten years and an average annual growth rate of 31.5%. Since 2020, annual operations have remained above 10,000 train services.
In Changsha, Hunan Province, the annual number of China-Europe Railway Express services increased from 112 trains in 2016 to 589 trains in 2025, with annual export cargo value exceeding USD 2.3 billion.
Xu Wenbin, container operations manager of the Changsha North Branch of China Railway Guangzhou Group’s Changsha Railway Logistics Center, said that Hunan’s China-Europe Railway Express has operated more than 4,080 trains in total. Currently, two trains operate steadily every day, with three to four trains during peak periods, keeping Hunan among the leading regions nationwide for seven consecutive years.
The latest statistics show that 129 cities across China have launched China-Europe Railway Express services, connecting 236 cities in 26 European countries. Compared with 2016, the number of participating Chinese cities and European destinations has increased by 113 and 216 respectively, with the service network now covering most of Eurasia.
Twenty-two weekly scheduled China-Europe Railway Express services currently operate between nine Chinese cities and six European cities, providing precise logistics solutions for high-end manufacturing industries. These services have promoted the development of new business models such as "Rail Express + Cross-border E-commerce" and "Rail Express + Industrial Parks". Chongqing, one of the earliest cities to launch China-Europe Railway Express services, now has 10 entry and exit ports, supporting the development of industrial clusters in automotive manufacturing, electronic information, and advanced materials with a combined value of hundreds of billions of yuan.
Xu Jiao, senior engineer of the Logistics Business Department of China Railway Chengdu Group, introduced that Chongqing operates through three major departure stations — Tuanjie Village, Yuzui, and Xiaonanya — and has 10 international entry and exit ports. With 118 overseas distribution points, 53 stable operating routes, and connections to more than 100 cities across Eurasia, Chongqing has developed an efficient international railway logistics network with extensive coverage.
Since April 2026, the China-Europe Railway Express official portal has released the China-Europe Railway Express High-Quality Development Index on a monthly basis. The index helps industry participants understand the latest developments in service coverage, transportation efficiency, port capacity, and safety performance, supporting the safe, stable, healthy, and orderly development of China-Europe railway logistics. As of June 10, 2026, the China-Europe Railway Express had operated more than 10,000 trains and transported over one million TEUs in 2026, reaching another record high for the same period.
