Shandong Expands China-Europe Freight Rail Network to Bolster Eurasian Trade Connectivity

Xinhua News Agency reports China-Europe freight trains continue to serve as a stable and efficient land logistics backbone for Eurasian trade and industrial supply chains amid steady progress under the Belt and Road Initiative. Renowned for large cargo capacity and extensive route coverage, the freight rail service delivers reliable cross-border transport solutions and underpins the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

Shandong provincial authorities have incorporated high-quality operation and expansion of China-Europe freight trains into the provincial 15th Five-Year Plan, prioritising the development of comprehensive international logistics corridors to support local enterprises engaging in global trade. Shandong Hi-Speed Group, the provincial core operator of China-Europe freight train services, continuously optimises operational arrangements and cargo organisation mechanisms to upgrade the overall efficiency and service quality of cross-border rail routes.

Shandong unified its provincial China-Europe freight train operations in October 2018 and has since built a structured domestic and overseas node layout. The province runs two national-level China-Europe freight train assembly centres in Jinan and Qingdao, with Linyi functioning as a key domestic nodal city. Four overseas assembly hubs have been established in Almaty of Kazakhstan, Inđija of Serbia, Moscow of Russia and Vientiane of Laos, forming a mature “2+4+N” dual-cycle service network. The integrated layout builds a distinctive modern logistics system featuring specialised corridors, core hubs and interconnected networks across Shandong Province.

Beyond infrastructure upgrades, diversified service portfolios enrich the commercial value of local freight rail services. Customised supply chain trains, refrigerated freight routes and cross-border e-commerce dedicated lines have been officially launched to cater to differentiated logistics demands from various industrial sectors. The tailored service categories help local manufacturers and trading enterprises expand overseas market access and enrich cross-border business scenarios.

Under the 15th Five-Year Plan framework, Shandong will further elevate the comprehensive service capacity of China-Europe freight train operations. The ongoing construction of the Jinan-Qingdao assembly centre cluster will be steadily advanced, alongside improvements to secondary domestic nodal distributions across the province. A streamlined transport model combining trunk line delivery and hub-based cargo distribution will be fully implemented.

The province will keep diversifying international corridor layouts and maximise the operational functions of overseas assembly centres. Continuous optimisation of train scheduling and cross-border coordination mechanisms will reinforce the stability and efficiency of provincial international logistics channels, delivering high-standard cross-border logistics support for Shandong’s foreign trade enterprises participating in global market competition.