The number of trains was up by 26 per cent year on year, while freight volume was 33 per cent higher. October witnessed 1,262 China-Europe freight train services.

Last year, some 12,400 freight train services carrying 1.14 million containers operated between the two regions. The number of trains was 50 per cent higher than in 2019, and freight volume was up 56 per cent year on year.

The group said the steady and safe operation of the services has seen them win favor in the international logistics market and become an important strategic channel for global trade, according to information provided on a Chinese government portal.

The company has drawn up plans to increase the capacity of overseas corridors, such as by opening new routes and offering new transport models.

The number of services along new routes rose last month to account for 35 per cent of overall trips, up from about 20 per cent in the first half of the year.

More return trips were handled in the first 10 months of the year to help to reduce costs, with the ratio of inbound services to outbound ones rising to 81 per cent.

To improve the cargo-handling capacity of border railway ports, expansion projects have been carried out in places such as Ereenhot in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Horgos and Alataw Pass in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

With over 70 routes, the freight train services have provided transport support for the socioeconomic development of countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The blocking of the Suez Canal by a stuck ship in March led to an increase in inquiries about China-Europe freight train services. The network has now reached more than 170 cities in 23 European countries, transporting more than 50,000 kinds of products.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)