China-Europe freight train services experienced robust growth in the first quarter of 2026, with 5,460 train trips and 546,000 containers of goods transported, marking year-on-year increases of 29 percent and 22 percent, respectively, according to China State Railway Group on Thursday.

The railway operator attributed the expansion to improved transport coordination and streamlined logistics, which have enhanced network efficiency. China-Europe freight trains now reach 235 cities across 26 European countries, covering most of the Eurasian continent.

New routes and corridors are being explored, including services via the Caspian Sea and trial runs along a Baltic route through Russia. Operational efficiency has improved, especially at border crossings, with digital systems and streamlined customs procedures reducing the shortest clearance time to under 30 minutes.

Railway authorities have introduced faster, scheduled services linking major cities in China and Europe, cutting transit times by over 30 percent compared to regular trains. Multimodal logistics products combining rail and road transport are expanding, offering end-to-end services under a single contract.

Service quality has been enhanced through technologies like electronic seals for real-time cargo tracking and specialized containers for a broader range of goods, including automobiles and lithium batteries.

A new high-quality development index for China-Europe freight train services was released earlier this month to track performance. The index evaluates operations based on scale, efficiency, and service quality and will be published monthly.