In the past, camel bells rang, and now there is a whistle roaring. In 2023, the China-Europe Railway Express will continue to create new miracles, effectively ensuring the stability and smoothness of the international industrial chain, and injecting strong momentum into the smooth domestic and international dual circulation, promoting the economic and social development of countries along the route, and providing high-quality services for the Belt and Road Initiative. In the first 11 months of this year, the cargo volume of China-Europe freight trains has exceeded the total volume in 2022.
Approaching the end of the year, the China-Europe train continues to come with good news. In 2023, the annual number of China-Europe trains (Xi'an) will exceed 5,000 for the first timeThe first China-Europe Express (Xi'an) + Western Land-Sea New Corridor Interconnection Train opened;Tianjin's first China-Europe train for the export of new energy vehicles departed from the Dongjiang Comprehensive Bonded ZoneThe first special train for imported grain of the China-Europe Express (Taizhou) opened;For the first time since 2013, the number of China-Europe freight trains entering and exiting the Erenhot railway port exceeded 3,000 trains...... year
Breaking new heights and deepening connectivity.
The China-Europe Railway Express is the brand highlight of the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by China and foreign countries, with comparative advantages such as timeliness, safety, sufficient transportation capacity, and high price, and has effectively solved technical and management problems such as different railway gauges, inspection and quarantine standards, and customs declaration between countries with innovation and leadership. Chen Chao, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Contemporary China and the World, said in an interview with a reporter from China ** Daily that in 2023, with the opening of the rows, the delivery of goods, and the access to cities to reach a new high, the development space of the China-Europe Express will continue to expand, creating a new pattern of Asia-Europe international transportation and showing a picture of Chinese-style modernization.
Xi'an is the first city in China with an annual number of China-Europe trains exceeding 5,000 and a cumulative number of more than 20,000 trains, with an average of one China-Europe train departing or arriving from Xi'an International Port Station every 100 minutes. As of December 19, the China-Europe Express (Xi'an) has operated a total of 5,191 trains this year, exceeding the total number of trains operated last year and an increase of 15% over the same period last year.
On December 3, the X9592 train departed from Xi'an International Port Station, which is the first China-Europe train (Sarepta, Russia-Xi'an-Beibu Gulf-Laem Chabang, Thailand) interconnected train. The goods transported by this interconnected train departed from Sarepta, Russia, arrived at Xi'an International Port Station through the China-Europe train, and then seamlessly connected to the X9592 Western Land-Sea New Channel train to Beibu Gulf Port, and then arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Thailand after 5 days by sea. Compared with the traditional transportation mode, the whole transportation time is reduced by 7 to 8 days. The opening of this train is the latest achievement of the China-Europe Express (Xi'an) relying on the Xi'an assembly center of the China-Europe Express to connect the new western land-sea corridor.
In addition, Xi'an has also continued to expand the radiation range of China-Europe freight trains across the Caspian Sea. In November, the China-Europe Express Chang'an Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (Xi'an-Baku) special train set sail from Xi'an International Port Station, departed from Khorgos Port, and rushed to Baku Port in Azerbaijan through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, with a total transportation time of about 11 days. This train is a new product launched by Xi'an International Port Area and Kazakhstan State-owned Railway Company, which has the characteristics of faster transportation time, higher safety factor and lower transportation cost.
Chen Chao said that since the beginning of this year, China has actively participated in the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, strengthened cooperation with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and other Central Asian countries, and built a three-dimensional interconnection network of the "Belt and Road".
Help products to "go out" and "bring in".
Promote the high-quality development of multimodal transport.
Under the overall positive situation of foreign trade this year, the development of China-Europe freight trains has ushered in a good opportunity, and special trains have been expanded in various places to help more products "go out" and "bring in".
On December 14, a China-Europe train loaded with 110 Great Wall Mocha new energy vehicles departed from Tianjin Xingangbei Container Center Station in the Dongjiang Comprehensive Bonded Zone and will arrive at Moscow Krest Station about 18 days later. This is the first time that the China-Europe Express (Tianjin) has carried Chinese-made new energy vehicles for export to Europe, building an efficient and fast international logistics channel for the export of domestic new energy vehicles.
The relevant person in charge of Tianjin Haitie Lianjie Group said that this year's export demand for new energy vehicles is strong, for the new energy vehicles manufactured in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the shortest distance from Tianjin to the sea, but the original sea to 45 days, and the route is in demand, now through the China-Europe train transportation, more than two weeks can reach Central Asia, Europe and other places, plus the railway transport is low, safe and reliable, more and more shippers will choose the first choice of China-Europe trains.
On December 13, a return train carrying 50 containers (with a total weight of more than 1,300 tons and a total value of about 2.6 million yuan) of wheat and wheat bran pellets imported from Kazakhstan arrived in Taizhou, Zhejiang, which is also the first special train for imported grain by the China-Europe Express (Taizhou). "From the Kazakhstan procurement area to Taizhou Toumen Port, it is not only convenient to check the goods on site, quickly deal with the problem goods, but also save transportation costs, and the average transportation cost per container is reduced by 10% compared with before. Wang Yi, full-time deputy director of the Taizhou Linhai City Open Economy Work Office, said.
The New Year's Eve bell is about to ring. In the new year, the "steel camel caravan" will continue to gallop, carrying the people's yearning for a better life in all directions.
Chen Chao told reporters that there are more opportunities for China-Europe trains next year, and they also need to be further improved: first, the general trend of green and low-carbon development will further boost the demand for China-Europe trains, and railways have absolute advantages in energy saving and carbon emission reduction compared with other modes of transportation. Second, in terms of digital "soft connectivity", it is necessary to strengthen digital management and operation, improve the degree and level of information sharing, and share the development experience of China-Europe trains. Third, there is a serious shortage of international public goods in global infrastructure and structural imbalance, and the China-Europe Railway Express should continue to play a role as a bridge to promote domestic and international dual circulation and ensure the stability and smoothness of the global industrial chain. Especially from the perspective of global chain promotion, we should also accelerate the cultivation of a number of leading multimodal transport enterprises with global influence. Fourth, the supply of public goods in domestic regional infrastructure is also insufficient and unbalanced, and it is necessary to further optimize the domestic layout such as the China-Europe train assembly center, promote the high-quality development of multimodal transport, and accelerate the transformation from "point-to-point" to "hub-to-hub".
*: China ** News Author: Zhou Dongyang.