According to media reports, with the successful operation of the China Europe Express (Poland Chengdu), the cumulative number of China Europe Express in 2018 reached 1000, up 75% year on year, marking that the railway sector continues to achieve important results in serving the construction of the "the Belt and Road".

The head of the relevant department of China Railway Corporation introduced that the China Europe freight train has reached 1000 trains in just 88 days this year, which is 168 days shorter than the 256 days in 2016 and 45 days shorter than the 133 days in 2017, setting a new historical record.

Looking back at the development history of the China Europe freight train, the scope of operation has continuously expanded. As of now, the cumulative number of China Europe freight trains has exceeded 7600, with 61 domestic routes operating. The number of cities operating China Europe freight trains in China has increased to 43, reaching 41 cities in 13 European countries. The proportion of return trips has significantly increased. By developing the supply of pulp, grain, cotton and other goods of the countries along the "the Belt and Road", the return proportion of China Europe regular trains has risen to 67% of the journey, 17 percentage points higher than the same period last year. With the significant increase in the proportion of return trains, the China Europe freight trains are becoming more inclined towards two-way balanced transportation.

The increasing number of scheduled trains reflects the prosperity of economic and trade exchanges, commodity circulation and market transactions in the "the Belt and Road" region, and also reflects that people along the line increasingly enjoy the livelihood dividends released by China EU scheduled trains. With the significant increase in the proportion of return trips, it reflects the close integration of communication and cooperation between the two sides, the exchange of various advantageous resources, the enrichment of product trade types, the improvement of effective supply, and the promotion of economic development in countries along the route.

In order to better serve the countries along the "the Belt and Road", the running time of the China Europe Express in China has been reduced by nearly 24 hours, and the running time of the wide rail section has been reduced to 135 hours at the earliest. With the implementation of the full transportation map, the transportation time of the China Europe freight train will be further compressed.

The purpose of optimizing the route and adjusting the transportation scheme is to improve the overall traffic capacity of cargo transportation. Under the broad development prospect of the "the Belt and Road" construction, the efficient and smooth commodity circulation environment will stimulate the production and marketing needs of countries along the line, foster emerging markets and economic growth points, and effectively promote both economic and social benefits.

With the strong support of railway transportation capacity, the types of goods transported by China Europe freight trains are becoming increasingly diverse, gradually expanding to include clothing, shoes, hats, cars and accessories, grain, wine, coffee beans, wood, chemicals, machinery and equipment, pulp and other categories. At present, the proportion of heavy containers transported by China Europe freight trains has reached 88%, with a heavy container rate of 95% for outbound trains and 77% for return trains.

2018 is the fifth year after the "the Belt and Road" initiative was put forward. China Europe Express makes full use of the advantages of large railway capacity, strong loading capacity, high safety factor, environmental protection and pollution-free features, revitalizing market resources, releasing the vitality of economic factors, and making the strongest comments for cultivating new momentum and building a strong engine for economic development