Lianyungang’s China-Europe Railway Express Volume Leads Jiangsu Province in July

From: Lianyungang Daily Updated: 2025-08-13 08:36

Yesterday, a China-Europe Railway Express train loaded with chrome iron alloy from Kazakhstan transited through Alashankou and arrived at the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base. According to statistics, in July, Lianyungang’s China-Europe Railway Express operated 77 trains, completing 6,338 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a year-on-year increase of 3.5%, ranking first in the province in terms of transport volume. Notably, eastbound volume grew by 8.9% year-on-year, with fully loaded departures and returns injecting new momentum into stabilizing regional industrial and supply chains. The “balanced round-trip transport” model has become a new highlight of Lianyungang’s railway express operations.

Amid globalization, the China-Europe Railway Express, serving as a vital link connecting China and the world, is traversing the Eurasian continent and writing a new chapter in international trade. The China-Kazakhstan Logistics Cooperation Base, as the departure hub for Lianyungang’s railway express, has witnessed countless trains setting off and returning. Since the beginning of the year, the base has handled an average of three railway express trains daily, with busy freight truck movements, intense gantry crane operations, and shuttle forklifts, painting a picture of bustling yet orderly activity. This underscores Lianyungang’s efforts to leverage its unique geographical and logistical advantages to expand its international trade footprint and enhance global logistics efficiency.

The realization of “balanced round-trip transport” marks the continuous optimization of Lianyungang’s railway express operation model. Previously, there was a phenomenon of “loaded departures, empty returns”, which wasted transport resources and affected trade balance. Today, Lianyungang’s railway express has achieved a virtuous cycle of “heavy-load trips in both directions”. For example, a train loaded with 55 TEUs departs Lianyungang, exits via the Khorgos Port after five days, and arrives in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, another return train loaded with goods such as panels and zinc ingots arrives in Lianyungang, enabling two-way circulation of goods. This efficient model not only improves transport efficiency but also reduces logistics costs, providing more convenient and efficient services for Chinese and foreign enterprises.

“While stabilizing existing cargo sources, we are focusing on optimizing the balance of east-west logistics, intensifying efforts to develop the return cargo market, and striving to build a well-connected, efficient land-sea intermodal transport hub,” said Ge, general manager of Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Co., Ltd. Supported by port authorities, Lianyungang Port has accelerated the promotion of innovative models such as zero-waiting “direct ship-to-train” operations, international sea-rail intermodal transport “one container throughout”, and railway fast customs clearance, aiming to enhance the transport efficiency and quality of railway express services, ensuring “accept all possible, dispatch all possible, transport all possible”.

With the establishment of the China-Kazakhstan joint Aktau Port container hub pilot zone and the new construction of 10 broad-gauge tracks at the Khorgos-Eastern Gate dry port, Lianyungang’s China-Europe Railway Express will leverage the integrated advantages of the “three-node hub” along the New Eurasian Land-Sea Corridor. This will fully unleash the radiation and driving effect of the port, continuously optimize railway express routes, further improve port customs clearance and transshipment efficiency, and make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.