Container trucks move in and out of the terminal, lifting equipment operates continuously across the yard, and containers from China are unloaded, transferred, and reorganized onto new trains before continuing their journey to other European countries or cities across Poland.
Located in eastern Poland, Małaszewicze is an important gateway for the China-Europe Railway Express entering the European Union. Containers arriving here need to be transferred between broad-gauge trains and European standard-gauge trains.
At the container terminal established here by Polish logistics company InBap Group, dispatcher Kacper Szymański has eight years of experience and is familiar with every step of terminal operations. The terminal officially started operations six months ago and now handles nearly 200 containers every day, most of which arrive from China.
“We have very good cooperation with our Chinese partners. Everything is transparent, and tasks are always completed on time,” Szymański told reporters. He said the terminal has been developing rapidly, with an expanding team and increasing investment in new equipment.
“Cooperation with China has brought many opportunities, benefiting local employees as well as all our partners,” said Małgorzata Biegajło, manager of container transshipment operations at InBap Group.
The new terminal, upgraded equipment, and increasing employment opportunities reflect the rapid growth of China-Europe Railway Express operations at Poland’s border hubs.
According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., since the China-Europe Railway Express adopted its unified brand in June 2016, the annual number of train services has increased by 10.8 times over the past decade, with an average annual growth rate of 31.5%. Currently, the service network reaches 236 cities in 26 European countries.
About 330 kilometers west of Małaszewicze, the central Polish city of Łódź has become an important distribution hub for many China-Europe Railway Express shipments in Europe.
At around 9 a.m., reporters saw trucks loaded with goods traveling frequently on the highway between Warsaw and Łódź. Thanks to its central location in Poland and convenient connections with European road and rail networks, Łódź has gradually developed into a major logistics hub in Central and Eastern Europe.
More than a decade ago, when the first Chengdu–Łódź freight train arrived, this trans-Eurasian railway route was far less mature than it is today.
“That train arrived during the Christmas holiday,” recalled Filip Grzelak, head of Polish logistics company Hartland Express. More than ten years ago, he and his colleagues stayed overnight at the border crossing to ensure the successful entry and handover of the first train.
“We made great efforts at that time, and it marked the beginning of a cooperation that has continued and expanded ever since,” he said.
During the early stage of the route’s operation, many procedures had to be explored from scratch: how to prepare documents, how to complete customs clearance, how to track shipments, and how to coordinate railways and terminals across different countries. More than a decade later, the company now cooperates with multiple Chinese cities including Chengdu, Xi’an, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Foshan. Previously complicated customs clearance and cargo tracking procedures have become increasingly standardized, while transportation safety and infrastructure capabilities have continued to improve.
“Rail transport has been one of the key drivers behind our company’s growth over the past decade,” Grzelak said. For high-value goods requiring reliable delivery times, railway transportation offers unique advantages, and the company continues to expand related services.
Adam Sobczyński, head of iHub, which operates a logistics terminal in Łódź, said that when customers require shorter delivery times or when global shipping routes face disruptions, rail provides a faster and more stable alternative.
Over the past decade, the continued growth of China-Europe Railway Express freight volumes and the upgrading of cargo categories have reflected the expanding trade relationship between China and Europe.
Paweł Moskal, general manager of Poland-based RIA Future Logistics, remembers that early China-Europe Railway Express shipments mainly consisted of computers and electronic products manufactured in China for international brands. Today, cross-border e-commerce goods, new energy vehicles, and more independently developed Chinese products are increasingly transported by rail.
Jiang Bohui, deputy general manager of the Polish branch of Eurasia Connectivity Holdings, who has more than ten years of experience in China-Europe logistics, has observed similar changes. She said that early shipments mainly consisted of clothing, toys, and lower-value household goods. In the past three years, high-value-added products such as photovoltaic energy storage equipment, electronic components, and automotive parts have continued to increase, accounting for more than 60% of the company’s shipments.
Statistics show that over the past decade, the categories transported by the China-Europe Railway Express have expanded to 53 major sectors, covering more than 50,000 types of products. In 2025, the total value of goods transported by the China-Europe Railway Express reached USD 67.7 billion.
Biegajło said that amid increasing geopolitical uncertainty and frequent disruptions to global trade, the China-Europe Railway Express can serve as an important tool for strengthening supply chain resilience. It also provides a platform for cooperation between Chinese and European companies in areas such as green logistics, digital transportation, and industrial project development.
