International railway transport is a major mode of transport second only to sea transport in international trade. Its biggest advantages are large transport volume, fast speed, less transport risk than ocean transport, and punctual operation all year round. There are two traditional international railway lines in my country: one is to use Russia’s Siberian Land Bridge to connect the Middle East and European countries; the other is to connect Jiangsu Lianyungang via Xinjiang and Kazakhstan Railway, connecting Russia, Poland, Germany to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The latter is called the New Eurasian Land Bridge, which is 9,000 kilometers shorter than sea transport and 3,000 kilometers shorter than the Siberian Land Bridge.
At present, my country mainly builds the China-Europe Express and the Central Asia Express international railway transport routes. The China-Europe Express (English name CHINARAILWAY Express, abbreviated as CRexpress) is organized by China Railway Corporation and runs according to fixed train numbers, routes, schedules and full-time operation times. It is an international container railway intermodal train running between China and Europe and countries along the “Belt and Road”. At present, there are three routes for China-Europe trains: the western route, the central route and the eastern route: the western route leaves my country through Alashankou (Horgos) from the central and western parts of my country, the central route leaves China through Erlianhot from the northern part of China, and the eastern route leaves China through Manchuria (Suifenhe) from the southeastern coastal areas of my country. In 2017, 3,673 China-Europe trains were launched throughout the year, an increase of 116% year-on-year, exceeding the total of the previous six years. At present, there are 38 cities in China that operate trains, and 36 cities in 13 European countries, with 5 countries and 23 cities added compared to 2016. There are 61 routes planned; the operating efficiency has also been improved, and a special route for China-Europe trains with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour has been laid. The full-course operation time has been gradually shortened from more than 20 days in the early days of operation to 12~14 days; the operating cost has been continuously reduced, and the overall transportation cost has dropped by about 40% compared to the early days of operation.
Central Asia trains refer to fast container direct trains sent from China or through China to the five Central Asian countries, West Asia, South Asia and other regions. At present, there are five Central Asia train ports, namely Alashankou and Horgos ports connecting Central Asia and West Asia, Erlianhot port connecting Mongolia, and Shanyao and Pingxiang ports connecting South Asia. The goods of Central Asia trains are mainly divided into two categories: one is China’s import and export goods (and vice versa), and the other is transit goods passing through Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other countries or regions through China (and vice versa).
Compared with ocean transportation, China-Europe and Central Asia trains have short transportation distances, fast speeds, high safety, and little impact from the natural environment. For example, it takes at least 40 days for goods to be shipped from Dalian to European cities such as Rotterdam in the Netherlands by sea, while it only takes about 18 days to arrive by China-Europe trains through Manzhouli; if it is from Weihai to Duisburg, Germany, and exits through Alashankou, the entire journey is 11,000 kilometers, and it only takes 15 days for a one-way operation, which saves half the running time compared to sea transportation.
Compared to air transport, China-Europe and Central Asia trains have a larger single-trip capacity. Generally speaking, China-Europe and Central Asia trains can be fully loaded with 50 40-foot containers, while the largest civilian cargo plane Il-76 has a maximum load capacity of 52 tons, which is less than 3 40-foot containers in total. In addition, the transportation cost of China-Europe trains is also cheaper, 80% less than air transport.