When the red wine from Western Europe is still drifting on the sea, the goods from Eastern Europe have already arrived in the hinterland of China by train. On June 6, 2026, a 55 car return China Europe freight train loaded with edible oil, car tires, and aluminum ingots entered through the Manzhouli railway port and headed towards Wujiashan Station in Wuhan. This is the 3000th train to break through the China Europe East Corridor in 2026- a number worth remembering.

The Northeast Line supported by three ports

The China Europe East Railway Corridor consists of three major railway ports: Manzhouli, Suifenhe, and Tongjiangbei. It has formed 27 stable operating routes, connecting 14 countries including Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, and linking more than 60 cities in China such as Changsha, Zhengzhou, and Chengdu. From January to April 2026, the cumulative traffic volume of the East Passage accounts for 32.1% of the national total, of which the traffic volume of return trains accounts for 41.1% of the national total. One out of every three China Europe trains travels through the East Passage, and two out of every five return trains enter from here. The weight of the passage continues to rise.

Three ports, three growth rates

As the core node of the East Passage, the Manzhouli Railway Port has completed a cumulative import and export freight volume of 9.6787 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 1.2%, reaching a historical high. The port relies on the 95306 digital port system to deepen the linkage between railway customs and enterprises, share real-time data with customs and freight forwarding enterprises, and break through customs clearance checkpoints.

Suifenhe Station will have a total of 402 trains of China Europe freight trains in operation by 2026, a year-on-year increase of 150%. By optimizing the operation process, the turnover time of vehicles will be significantly reduced. The Tongjiangbei Port has leveraged the advantages of four stations and one station linkage. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 118 import and export trains and 106000 tons of goods, an increase of 174.4% compared to the same period last year, achieving fast loading and unloading, and optimal import and export. Keywords: China Europe freight trains, cross-border logistics

Three ports and three growth rates reflect the strong pulse of the Northeast Asia land sea intermodal transportation channel. While sea freight was still circling around the Cape of Good Hope, railways had already stitched together the Eurasian continent into a tight trade network. The 3000th column is just the starting point, and the story of this channel is still accelerating.Editor/Cheng Liting