..𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚-𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.

.China has developed a 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? This rail link, known as the 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚-𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, connects several cities in China, including Chengdu, Xian, and Shanghai, to cities across Europe, including Hamburg in Germany

The rail route has significantly reduced the shipping time for goods between China and Europe, taking around 12-16 days, compared to several weeks by sea. This railway is part of Chinas broader efforts to strengthen trade ties and improve infrastructure connectivity between Asia and Europe. It also provides a faster, more cost-effective alternative to air freight and sea transport.

China Europe Railway Express: Top ocean freight alternative [+Lease SOCs at attractive rates in 2024].

.The China Europe Railway Express (CRE) connects China and Europe through an extensive network of rail services. Read this blog to find out about the CRE, its benefits, as well as the challenges it faces. We’ll also help you source containers at budget-friendly rates.

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In 2023, 1.9 million TEUs were shipped along the China-Europe Railway Express. The China National Railway attributes this increase in traffic to several initiatives implemented along the route in recent years.

Using the CRE has many benefits, including faster delivery times and simpler customs procedures. However, if you’re planning to move cargo from China to the USA, you may have come up against a few challenges, such as sourcing units at budget-friendly rates, and finding suppliers you can trust.

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What is the China Europe Railway Express? 

The China-Europe Railway Express, or China Railway Express (CRE), is a network of international multimodal container rail services that connect cities in China with cities in Europe. 

The CRE is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, and provides overland transportation for cargo, bypassing the traditional maritime routes that connect these two regions.

.Popular shipping routes from China to Europe

The China-Europe Railway Express operates along three major corridors: the eastern, central, and western routes.

The eastern route  It exits China through Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia, traverses Russia, and enters Europe via Belarus and Poland.

The central route  through Erenhot in Inner Mongolia, crosses Russia, and then reaches eastern and western Europe.

The western route , it extends further into Europe. Most of these routes pass through Russia, Belarus, and Poland, with a few trains also transiting through Ukraine en route to Hungary.

.China Europe Railway Express map

From the map below, we can see that the China-Europe railway does not travel along a single route. Rather, it is a network of railways that spans the two continents. 

CRE trains currently run along 73 routes, connecting more than 50 cities in Mainland China with 217 cities in 25 European countries.

.Challenges ahead for the China-Europe Railway Express route

A major concern with the CRE is its susceptibility to geopolitical risks. With a rail network passing through multiple countries, the CRE’s strength during peacetime becomes a potential vulnerability during times of war or political instability.

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國際戰略專家學者分析認為,中國自從推廣OBOR.一帶一路的投資建設開發計劃,部份工程項目已經落實執行,唯有因為COVID-19.(2020-2022)疫病影響到,部份項目工程中斷或是中止,如今藉由阿富汗重有塔利班組織再度執政掌權,已經同意接受中國的建議加入OBOR. 一帶一路的建設開發案,因此中國當局重新檢討,OBOR.路經中東地區及中亞地區連貫歐洲交通運輸的樞紐,再度提出興建中歐高速鐵路興建計畫,其實早在2016年時期就已經有初步的計劃,如今國際局勢變化多端,時間不等待,中國提出更實際落實執行興建中歐高速鐵路興建計畫,其目的就是加強並加速歐洲與中國的國際貿易,貨物運輸,觀光旅遊及其他戰略性質的計畫實現,共創鐵路沿線國家的共同利益.其中德國與西班牙全面支持並由國會通過工程預算配合中國執行中歐高速鐵路興建計畫.

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目前雖然有固定的中歐班列的傳統型火車運輸往來中國與歐洲,但是要達到相當成度的經濟規模,定要興建中歐高速鐵路才得以實現,因此興建.𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚-𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.勢在必行..

The old Silk Road that connected China to Europe rose to significant prominence during the seventh and eighth centuries, when not only was silk moved from China but also spices, paper and noodles across Eurasia. The route has been disrupted and dismantled many times during the last millennium or more, not least in recent times by the sharp rise in container shipping during the last century.

However, the Silk Road lives on, at least in policy and imagination, if not in hard trade. Over the past few years, the Chinese government has spoken ambitiously about its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, a plan to revitalise and modernise trade and connections across dozens of countries and multiple continents. Some $40 billion worth of investment has been discussed as part of a sweeping range of programmes that includes maritime and intermodal routes across China, South-east Asia, Russia, central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Long-distance rail across the Eurasian landmass, though only one part of this vision, is important to the government’s hopes. It is also a service that has already gained prominence and use in the automotive sector, with rising interest in moving both car parts and vehicles by rail. Although overall volumes are still relatively small, and tend to be part of niche flows, there is potential for expansion across these and other routes.

One of the first companies to get involved in rail transport between Europe and China, particularly for the automotive sector, was German operator DB Schenker. According to Daniel Wildt, manager of the automotive vertical for north and central China, the DB group is cooperating with China Railways in the building of rail infrastructure all over China, with the firm also a stakeholder in CR Intermodal, as well as the YuXinOu operator company, which links Chongqing, in Sichuan Province in the south-west, to Duisburg.

DB Schenker takes a variety of roles across the main Europe-China routes, including acting as a freight forwarder, booking space on trains operated by others, and offering onward transport. The majority of the cargo it handles for automotive clients moves eastbound from Europe to China, although related services also move by connection to other Asian countries. In one example, DB Schenker has moved automotive cargo by rail to Shanghai, and from there via ocean vessel to the final consignee in Japan..

However, in terms of overall capacity, Dierks says rail transport is no competition for sea freight, and the company still relies on sea-borne routes run by Maersk and Cosco for shipping material between the two regions, as well as deep-sea ro-ro carriers to export finished vehicles. “Although our current train route is stable, sea freight is the most sustainable way to bring large transport volumes by container to China,” he adds.