Lianyungang, a city of 4.6 million lying on the east coast of China between Beijing and Shanghai, recently witnessed a 15,000th trip completed to and from five Central Asian countries since the launch of the New Eurasian Land Bridge back in December 1992.
This route is the southern counterpart of the Eurasian Land Bridge and connects China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands (Rotterdam), and Belgium (Antwerp). Containers on the Chinese rails must be transferred at the Dostyk border crossing on China – Kazakhstan border into broad-gauge wagons.
One hundred TEUs loaded with cargo such as tyres, lubricants, and ceramic tiles left the city on the anniversary train marking this milestone. The main company behind these freight rail trips is Jiangsu International Rail Freight Express Co., Ltd.
According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., in the first quarter of this year alone, the number of China-Europe freight train services witnessed a 15% year-on-year increase, with a total of 4,186 trips completed.
