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China-Europe freight trains departing from Nanjing made 389 trips in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. Last year, these trains ran farther and farther, with newly-added trips from Nanjing to Baku, Azerbaijan and from Nanjing to Istanbul, Turkey, offering new options for those that have business ties with Europe. With Tongjiang as a new port of entry, the “four-direction and seven-port” passage pattern has taken shape, becoming an important channel for Nanjing to integrate into the “dual circulation” development pattern and promote a higher level of opening-up.
In Nanjing, focus has always been put on key companies in industry and supply chains. Based on their shipping needs, a logistics plan was carefully designed and customized train services were launched to satisfy their shipping needs to a maximum degree, boost the local economy and actively serve the foreign trade industry. In 2024, the number of freight trains carrying goods exported by foreign trade enterprises totaled 84. These trains were loaded with approximately USD 143 million worth of goods, with the local portion accounting for 58.63 percent and valued at USD 521 million, up 47.18 percent from the prior year.
Nanjing made active efforts to launch special train services. The “China-Europe Railway Express + bonded zone” import model contributed more than USD 30 million in foreign trade value to Nanjing Comprehensive Bonded Zone, promoting the development of the bonded zone. The “China-Europe Railway Express + bonded zone” train service was nominated by the China Container Industry Association as an excellent multimodal transport service case for the year 2024. Additionally, the Integration of Transportation and Trade of Nanjing Routes of the China-Europe Freight Train Service was selected as one of the fifth innovation practice cases of the China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone by the Jiangsu FTZ Affairs Office.
Moreover, Nanjing developed “train service + business” and expanded the new model of “cross-border e-commerce + train service”. For instance, a cross-border e-commerce train departing from Nanjing to Central Asia was put into use at the end of September 2024, and 12 such trains ran from the city to Russia in December 2024, giving fresh impetus to the city’s cross-border e-commerce industry. It extended the international cold-chain business last September and continuously increased the category of goods to better meet cold-chain transportation needs of importers and exporters. The first cold-chain train service from Nanjing to Russia was launched last year, when the number of such trains totaled 5.
