Photo from the Xinhua News Agency

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), introduced at a regular press conference in May that the Chinese Railway Express (CRE) was officially put into operation in June 2016. In the past five years, the CRE trains have greatly promoted the mutual benefits and progress of China and Europe, helping countries along the CRE lines share transportation facilities and deepening their trade cooperation and industrial interactive development. With the CRE trains acquiring an increasingly good reputation worldwide, countries and regions along the lines are taking a more active role in the operation and expansion of the CRE rail services.

In April this year, the CRE lines ran a total of 1218 trains, a year-on-year increase of 24%, transporting 117,000 TEUs, a yearly increase of 33%. To date, the CRE lines have run a total of 38,000 trains, transporting 3.4 million TEUs of goods, reaching 151 cities in 22 European countries, and its logistics and distribution network has covered almost all of Europe. (By Chen Shuwen, translated by Shen Yingying, edited by Mariam Ayad)