China unveils new freight rail timetable

China will begin to operate a new freight railway schedule from 10th of April, adding more express freight trains and bulk cargo trains to lower logistics costs and support economic development, the national railway operator China State Railway Group said on 10th of April.

Under the new schedule, the railway sector will enhance the operation quality of the China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight trains. The schedule includes 87 designated routes for the China-Europe freight trains and 39 for the China-Central Asia freight trains.

More services along a new China-Europe freight route combining rail and ocean transportation that crosses the Caspian and Black seas will be operated under the new schedule.

The trains along the new route also pass through countries such as Kazakhstan and Georgia before reaching European countries.

In addition, more set-scheduled China-Europe freight trains will be operated in accordance with the market's demands. Unlike regular cargo carriers, the trains adhere to a set schedule along the entire route, further reducing transport time and also allowing customers to calculate journey times between cities, thus improving service quality.

So far, five scheduled services have been operated, which have reduced 30 percent of travel time compared with regular China-Europe freight train services.

In light of the schedule adjustment, the railway sector has closely aligned with market demands, comprehensively optimizing express freight train services.

Based on the functions of the train services, they are categorized into four major types: China-Europe freight trains, China-Central Asia freight trains, multimodal transport freight trains, and inter-city freight trains.

The China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight trains refer to freight trains operating between China and European countries, as well as between China and other Asian countries, primarily facilitating cross-border cargo transportation.

The multimodal transport freight trains are designed to transport domestic goods via two or more modes such as railway, road, waterway, and air transport, with a focus on container transportation to facilitate seamless interconnection at both ends.

The inter-city freight trains operate between cities within the country.

The new schedule will be implemented nationwide starting from 6:00 pm on 10th of April. China's railway sector usually adjusts the train schedule every quarter. Under the latest adjustment, the passenger train schedule remains generally unchanged, according to the group.