China-Europe Railway Express operated 3,501 freight trains in the first two months of 2026, carrying 352,000 TEU, according to China State Railway Group.
The growth coincided with an expansion in China-EU trade. China’s General Administration of Customs reported trade with the EU reached CNY 998.94bn (EUR 127.5bn) in the same period, up 19.9% year on year, compared with 18.3% growth in China’s total foreign trade.
China State Railway Group stated that since the start of 2026 it has adjusted scheduling and strengthened coordination to align China-Europe freight train services more closely with market demand.
At Alashankou Port in Xinjiang, 1,498 China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight trains were handled by 5 March, up 24.1% year on year, according to China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group.
As of June 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express network linked 128 Chinese cities with 229 destinations in Europe and more than 100 cities in Asia, according to data released at a Foreign Ministry press conference. Trains depart on average every 30 minutes or less across the network.