A file photo of a China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train. [Photo/WeChat account: xiamen_swj]

According to statistics, from August 2015, when the first China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train launched, until the end of June 2022, the freight train operated 1,154 trains, which is equivalent to 47,713 40-foot containers, and brought in a cumulative product value of over 27.94 billion yuan ($4.14 billion).

During the first half of this year, the China–Europe (Xiamen) freight train has operated 47 trains loaded with products worth 1.79 billion yuan.

To date, the China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train has opened three international freight lines, which are Xiamen-Europe, Xiamen-Central Asia, and Xiamen-Russia, reaching more than 30 cities in 12 countries.

It has implemented the sea-rail intermodal transport to Hong Kong and Taiwan as a cross-Straits logistic channel, and as a new national logistics route from Eurasia to Southeast Asian nations like Thailand and Vietnam.

The China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train has played an important role in stabilizing foreign trade and boosting domestic demand for Xiamen and Fujian in the past seven years, said Wu Yunbo, a manager of the freight train company.

Compared with exporting by sea, which is limited by longer transportation times, the China-Europe freight train transportation cuts less than two-thirds off of sea transportation times, and also boasts the advantages of larger volumes, lower costs, and safer weather conditions, Wu said.

As a result, the China-Europe (Xiamen) freight train has facilitated an increasing number of Xiamen companies to go global, Wu added.