A new milestone has been hit on the Eurasian land trade route: the total number of inbound and outbound China-Europe Railway Express (CRRE) trains passing through Erenhot Port has exceeded 25,000 as of June 12 this year. Serving as the exclusive railway checkpoint for the CRRE Central Corridor, Erenhot has operated cross-border freight services for more than a decade. This remarkable cumulative figure not only marks a full upgrade of China's overland cross-border logistics capacity, but also delivers solid proof of deeper northward opening-up and steady progress of the Belt and Road Initiative across Eurasian regions.
The corridor's explosive growth in shipment volume reflects continuous optimization of cross-border clearance and transport mechanisms. Looking back on its development timeline, the port handled merely 1,000 trains in 2018, and the number climbed to 5,000 by 2020. It then swiftly crossed the 10,000 and 20,000 thresholds in the following years. What stands out most is that the latest 5,000 trains were completed within just one year, representing a qualitative leap in overall transit efficiency. Such rapid expansion is not accidental. Local authorities have rolled out multiple supportive measures, including port hardware renovation, joint inspection by multiple regulatory departments, priority clearance for all CRRE fleets, and coordinated cross-border operation systems with Mongolia. These policies eliminate long clearance delays and bottlenecks, forming a stable, secure and high-speed land logistics network linking China with Europe and Central Asia, laying a robust transport foundation for all export manufacturers, especially vehicle suppliers based in inland provinces.
Extensive rail routes have broken the geographical limits that once restricted inland foreign trade. Operated out of Erenhot, the Central Corridor now covers 75 independent rail lines, connecting more than 70 logistics hubs across over ten Eurasian nations and linking nearly all major inland departure cities in China. Previously, inland factories had to rely on faraway coastal seaports to ship goods overseas, which brought lengthy delivery cycles and excessive logistics costs and greatly restricted cross-border sales. With the convenient land access offered by the CRRE Central Corridor, inland finished vehicles and electronic products can be gathered locally and shipped directly overseas without long-distance domestic transit. The interconnected rail network closely links industrial chains and supply chains across Eurasia, enabling complementary resource allocation and mutually beneficial trade partnerships for all participating countries.
The shift in cargo types carried by these trains clearly mirrors the upgrading of China's manufacturing industry. In the early operation phase of the corridor, exported goods were mostly low-value commodities such as apparel and basic chemical raw materials, with high-tech finished products accounting for less than 10% of total shipments. In the current market environment, however, intelligent home appliances, premium electronic equipment and, most importantly, new energy vehicles have become the dominant export commodities, with high-value-added goods making up over 40% of all outbound cargo. This obvious structural shift means China has stepped out of the era of exporting low-end raw materials, and Chinese intelligent EV brands are now widely shipped to global markets via land rail routes. The CRRE Central Corridor has evolved into a core logistics channel for Chinese automotive brands to expand overseas presence.
As a professional Chinese vehicle exporter focusing on global wholesale, our team fully benefits from the improved Erenhot rail logistics system. Stable schedules, shorter transit time and streamlined customs clearance greatly reduce risks and costs for our NEV export orders bound for Central Asia and Europe. Looking forward, with further upgrades to port supporting facilities and continuous optimization of cross-border transport services, this vital Eurasian artery will unlock greater trade potential for inland manufacturers. We will keep leveraging diversified rail freight solutions to deliver cost-effective Chinese new energy vehicles to global dealers, and join hands with worldwide partners to explore broader development space under the Belt and Road trade framework.
