China-Europe Railway Express

China-Europe rail created a middle option between ocean and air freight, and some importers still use it when they need goods faster than a ship but cheaper than a plane. The first Yuxinou train left Chongqing for Duisburg, Germany, on March 19, 2011, carrying locally made electronics more than 11,000 kilometers through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland in about 16 days. Services from many Chinese cities followed and were brought under the China Railway Express brand in 2016. Rail can take roughly half the time of an ocean voyage to Europe, but capacity is smaller and the route is exposed to border and political disruption.

• Intermodal FreightFreight moved by rail and truck in one box
• Lead TimeTime from purchase order to sellable stock
• Landed CostTotal cost to get a product ready to sell

• Trans-Siberian Railway1891–1916 · The longest railway line links Moscow and Vladivostok
• Silk Road2nd century BCE to 15th century · Overland trade routes link China with the Mediterranean
• Belt and Road Initiative2013 · China funds ports and railways across three continents

• Bern Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM)1890, in force 1893, now COTIF 1999 · Treaty on rail freight contracts and liability
• TIR Convention1959, revised 1975 · UN transit system for sealed trucks crossing borders

1. Chongqing-Europe train is a milestone (Liangjiang New Area government) english.liangjiang.gov.cn
2. China-Europe freight trains act as carrier for BRI (Belt and Road Portal) eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn