RAIL traffic across the Eurasian continent has been proliferating this year as a result of cooperation between the countries along the route and significant improvements in both hard and soft transport infrastructure.

Rail freight between China and Europe has become not only more reliable, faster and greener but also more cost-effective than shipping. By August this year, the cost of shipping a 40-foot container (FEU) by train from the Chinese mainland to Poland was less than half the cost of shipping.

Besides, the freight train takes about nine days to reach the destination, compared with 35 to 40 days by sea, reports China Daily.

The ongoing conflict in the Red Sea region has led to a 67 per cent decline in shipping between China and Europe via the Suez Canal.

Consequently, there has been a notable rise in sea freight rates, which are now higher than rail freight rates. In contrast, rail freight rates have remained relatively stable.

However, it is important to remember rail transport has a limited capacity compared with shipping. The average freight train from China to Europe typically carries about 150 TEU containers per trip, while the large ocean liners operating on this route can hold up to 24,000 TEU, which about 160 trains would be needed to carry.

From January to September, the volume of rail freight between China and Europe continued to rise, with the trains making 14,689 round trips, up 13 per cent year-on-year. These trains transported 1.57 million TEU of goods, an increase of 11 per cent year-on-year.