Southwest China’s Chongqing launched a fixed-schedule freight train service to Budapest
A freight train bound for Budapest, Hungary, departed Chongqing Municipality in southwest China on Sunday, marking the launch of a new fixed-schedule China-Europe freight train service, also known as the China Railway Express.
The train, carrying automotive and motorcycle parts, electronic products and other consumer goods, is expected to take around 11 days to reach Budapest – a major transport hub serving Central and Eastern Europe. The train will exit China via the Alataw Pass in the northwestern Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and travel through countries including Kazakhstan, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, before arriving in Hungary.
The new route is Chongqing’s second fixed-schedule China-Europe freight train service — following a route connecting the city with Duisburg, Germany.
Compared to traditional freight trains, fixed-schedule trains follow predetermined schedules and routes — significantly improving efficiency and reliability. According to China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd., the Chongqing-Budapest route will reduce travel time by about 30 percent.
“The fixed-schedule service offers better predictability for production planning, logistics and capital turnover, and provides a more efficient cross-border logistics option for the electronics, automotive, motorcycle and equipment manufacturing industries in Chongqing,” said Yang Lianchen of the Chongqing railway logistics center under China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd.
Data released by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. earlier this week showed that China-Europe freight trains had made 120,000 cumulative trips and transported goods worth more than 490 billion US dollars.
As a flagship project and an important brand of the Belt and Road Initiative, China Railway Express has built a comprehensive logistics network across Eurasia – now covering 232 cities in 26 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.
Source: Xinhua
