“At 3:18 p.m. on June 16th, the X8022 Sino-European CRE train was loaded with 100 TEUs of merchandise, hardware and the like, and departed Yiwu West to Moscow.”  This was the 1000th YXE train departing this year, an annual achievement which occurred four months earlier compared to last year. To date, a total of 82,982 TEUs have been shipped, increasing by 223.8% year-on-year and accounting for more than 60% of the volume transported by CRE trains of the Yangtze River Delta network.

President Xi Jinping praised the YXE trains on six important international occasions. In fact, YXE trains have become one of the leading figures of the railway transport, as well as a fundamental business card of Zhejiang’s “going global” policy.

Since the launch of the YXE CRE train in November 2014, a total of 3,554 trains have operated by June 16, 2021. In 2020, the volume of YXE trains rose from 9th to 4th place throughout China, leading among the CRE trains of the Yangtze River Delta. Trains leaving from the Jinhua-Yiwu platform increased by 313% year-on-year, recording 41% of returning trains. Both indicators ranked first in the country. The Jinhua-Yiwu platform has so far opened a total of 18 lines, of which 12 are for outbound trains and six are for inbound trains. 16 lines originate from the Yiwu platform.

The Jinhua-Yiwu platform of YXE trains serve over 50 regions and countries of the Eurasian continent. The collection and storage capacity continues to be enhanced, and the area of influence has been extended from the Yangtze River Delta to the Pearl River Delta, and the Jiaodong Peninsula. The platform’s status as national logistics hub continues to improve. At the same time, the returning trains are usually loaded with imported products such as electrolytic copper, paper pulp, and cotton yarn, among other bulk materials needed in China and serving the dual circulation strategy.

On January 1, four YXE trains departed from the Yiwu platform; on Lunar New Year’s, the first train of the Ox Year left the Jinhua platform for France; and on February 17, the Yiwu platform set a record for number of YXE trains departed in a single day, 10. During the first quarter of 2021, YXE trains exceeded 500, and in the second quarter, this number is expected to rise even further. The yearly goal of going over 1800 trains is very likely to be achieved. (Translated by Marco Lovisetto, edited by Mariam Ayad)