By Dong Yifan

Since the first China-Europe freight train left Chongqing for Duisburg， Germany， on March 19， 2011， the brand new service has been running across the wider Eurasia continent for more than one decade. The “caravans of steel camels”promote practical cooperation between China and countries along the route， sending a clear signal that the Belt and Road Initiative is an international public good， benefiting all those engaged in it.

Growth spurt

During the past 10 years， the China-Europe Railway Express has realized dramatic improvements. It has covered over 60 Chinese cities and 21 European countries， including Germany， Poland， Belgium， France and the Netherlands， among others. In 2020， the total number of train trips reached 12，400， a 50-percent rise compared with the last year， and up sevenfold since 2016， while the total number of trips stood at less than 20 in 2011.

The growth rate in 2020 was an unprecedented one in the span of a decade， demonstrating that the benefits of the service have been widely acknowledged by companies across China and Europe. The China-Europe Railway Express currently contributes 5-6 percent to total transport capacity between Asia and Europe. It also represents the rejuvenation of the ancient Silk Road， the bridge for the exchange of goods and culture in times long gone， having lost its momentum after Europe entered the Age of Exploration in the 15th century.

Moreover， the China-Europe Railway Express has gradually become a topnotch cost-efficient freight transport method between Asia and Europe. In its earliest stages， many refused to believe that a trans-continental railway would have any kind of future because first， its freight rates are more expensive than those of sea transportation， and second， railway transportation takes more time compared with air services. Nevertheless， these differences came with their individual advantages. Time-wise， the China-Europe Railway Express comes to one third of sea freight， and price-wise， rail transport comes to one third of air freight.

China-Europe freight trains provide a successful way of transportation for Chinas inland regions such as Chongqing Municipality， Sichuan and Hubei provinces， and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， as well as countries in Central Asia and East Europe， helping them access the West European market， promoting the economic ties between those regions. For example， imports take only one month to arrive in Chongqing from Spain via train， 50 days shorter than the sea shipping route which suffers delays due to the pandemic.