The current pandemic is still not optimistic and both ocean and air transport are greatly affected. Under such a backdrop, the Chinese Railway Express (CRE) is continuing its efforts to bridge the gap in goods transport by becoming an important link connecting economic and trade exchanges between Europe and Asia. Among all the express rail services, the Yiwu-Madrid CRE delivered the most incredible quarterly report to the world.

On April 25, the press conference on Zhejiang’s business operations in the first quarter of 2021 revealed that, affected by the increased container shipping prices, the number of Yiwu-Madrid CRE trains has increased significantly. The line ran a total of 513 trains from January to March, a year-on-year increase of 3.8 times.

In addition to the eye-catching number of trains the Yiwu-Madrid CRE operated, the composition of its cargo has also been significantly optimized. On its outbound journey, the proportion of local goods on the Yiwu-Madrid CRE trains has increased to 90%, becoming an important channel for exports.

Wang Xiaozhang, a small commodity wholesaler doing business in Spain, told reporters that after the Spring Festival, he has sent more than a dozen containers to Spain through the Yiwu-Madrid CRE, including hardware, pajamas, and also epidemic prevention materials like masks. Wang said that the fast speed and convenient customs clearance are unique advantages of the Yiwu-Madrid CRE. He remarked, “It runs many trains a week, but there is only one or two ships for sea transportation. What’s more, it will be more convenient to pass through customs in Yiwu.”

Chen Yanzhen, an operator of the Yiwu International Trade Market, also said that the Yiwu-Madrid CRE was highly efficient. After it sets off from Yiwu, customers can get the products within half a month. In addition, its restriction on the volume of goods is relatively low, with a minimum of only 75 kg.

In addition, the proportion of return trains of the Yiwu-Madrid CRE line in the first quarter increased to 30%. The goods on the return trains are mainly New Year goods and production materials such as wood, electrolytic copper, and cotton yarn, which have added impetus to the development of the manufacturing industry in the Yangtze River Delta, especially Zhejiang.

According to the work report of the Zhejiang Provincial Government in 2021, the Yiwu-Madrid CRE operated 1399 trains throughout the year in 2020. In the next step, the Jinhua Freight Center of China Railway’s Shanghai Bureau Group Corporation, the Shanghai Branch of China Railway Container Corporation, and other railway departments will form a “four-in-one” cooperation and coordination mechanism, together with the governments of Jinhua, Yiwu, and other places, as well as the CRE platform companies and customs, to deeply implement the Yiwu and Jinhua “two-wheel drive” strategy, and strive to achieve the goal of running at least 1500 trains and then extending to hopefully 1800 trains in the future. (By Huang Xinyi, photos from Xinhua News Agency, translated by Shen Yingying, edited by Mariam Ayad)