On March 3, the Lantern Festival, a China-Europe Railway Express freight train loaded with "Made in the Greater Bay Area" products departed from Guangzhou International Port and began its journey to Europe. Since the Spring Festival holiday, Guangzhou International Port has operated eight China-Europe Railway Express trains without interruption. Statistics show that in the first two months of 2026, Guangzhou International Port, the largest national railway freight terminal in South China, operated 270 freight trains and handled 84,500 TEUs of cargo, representing a year-on-year increase of 46.71%. The strong performance highlights the accelerated growth of foreign trade development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Since the beginning of the Spring Festival holiday, Guangzhou International Port has operated eight China-Europe Railway Express trains. Inside the terminal, cranes are continuously loading and unloading containers, creating a busy scene. As one of China's 18 railway container center stations and the only railway container center station in Guangzhou, Guangzhou International Port has maintained frequent China-Europe Railway Express operations since February. Export goods mainly include home appliances manufactured in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and cross-border e-commerce products, meeting growing demand from overseas markets.
In recent years, China-Europe Railway Express has fully utilized its advantages in international rail capacity and transportation corridors, continuously expanding the "Railway Express +" service model. Innovative solutions such as the combination of container China-Europe Railway Express services and JSQ vehicle transport services, together with dual-port transportation channels, have created new logistics routes for Guangdong-made automobiles to enter overseas markets. The expansion of hub-to-hub domestic rail services, public China-Europe Railway Express services, and door-to-station logistics solutions has provided more transportation options for exports from the Greater Bay Area.
According to the latest statistics, since its launch, Guangzhou International Port has operated a total of 5,365 freight trains, handling more than 1.08 million TEUs of cargo. Among them, China-Europe Railway Express services have accounted for 1,377 trains, with cargo throughput exceeding 150,000 TEUs. The "Steel Silk Road" extending from the Greater Bay Area has established a high-frequency transportation network connecting more than 20 cities across Eurasia, including Germany, Poland, and Russia, becoming an important logistics corridor supporting China-Europe trade.
A representative from Guangdong Guangwu International Railway Express Operation Management Co., Ltd. said that China-Europe Railway Express offers outstanding advantages in stability and efficiency. Rail transportation time is generally maintained at 15 to 18 days, while carbon emissions are only about one-seventh of road transportation. The service demonstrates stronger reliability and resilience under complex international conditions and extreme weather, providing solid support for corporate supply chain security.
Meanwhile, intelligent upgrades are providing new momentum for efficient railway operations. With the continued development of smart facilities at Guangzhou International Port, intelligent scheduling systems and automated loading equipment have been widely applied. The loading and unloading time for a single train has been reduced from six hours to four hours, while customs clearance efficiency has improved by approximately 30%, enabling seamless integration between railway transportation and port clearance processes.
The rapid development of China-Europe Railway Express has strongly supported industrial upgrading in the Greater Bay Area. The cargo structure has undergone significant transformation. Goods transported through the railway corridor have shifted from traditional labor-intensive products such as clothing and toys to high-value-added products including new energy vehicles and components, photovoltaic products, and smart electronics, which now account for more than 70% of transported goods.
Looking ahead, Guangzhou International Port will continue expanding new routes to Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, while exploring innovative services such as "China-Europe Railway Express + cross-border e-commerce" and "China-Europe Railway Express + cold chain logistics". These efforts aim to further improve train frequency and operational efficiency, contributing to stable foreign trade and secure supply chains in Guangdong.
