China-Europe Rail Freight Surges as Supply Chains Shift
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The number of China-Europe freight train trips rose 31.7% year-on-year to 3,501 in the first two months of 2026, reversing a period of sluggish growth.
The strong rebound highlights how geopolitical disruptions to global shipping and a recovery in China-Russia trade are redirecting international freight to overland rail routes.
From January to February, the network carried 352,100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, up 25.2%, according to China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. The surge contrasts with full-year 2025, when total trips increased just 3.2% to about 20,000 and overall cargo volume fell 1.3% to roughly 2.1 million TEUs. Outbound trips dropped 6.1% to 9,898 last year, while inbound journeys rose 14.4% to about 10,100.
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- China-Europe freight train trips rose 31.7% year-on-year to 3,501 in Jan-Feb 2026, with cargo volume up 25.2% to 352,100 TEUs, driven mainly by outbound traffic.
- The rebound aligns with a 12% increase in China-Russia trade to $39 billion in early 2026, following declines in 2025.
- Disruptions in global shipping and Middle East conflict are shifting freight to rail, raising shipping and container rental rates.
- China State Railway Group Co. Ltd.
- China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司) reported that the China-Europe freight train network carried 352,100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo in the first two months of 2026, marking a 25.2% increase. This surge contrasts with a decline in cargo volume in 2025.
- Full year 2025：
- Total China-Europe freight train trips increased 3.2% to about 20,000; overall cargo volume fell 1.3% to roughly 2.1 million TEUs; outbound trips dropped 6.1% to 9,898; inbound journeys rose 14.4% to about 10,100.
- 2025：
- China-Russia total bilateral trade fell 6.9% to $228.1 billion, with Chinese exports to Russia down 10.4% to $103.3 billion and imports slipping 3.9% to $124.8 billion.
- 2025：
- Central Asia-bound trips surged 19.6% to about 14,300; cargo volume jumped 27.7% to 1.1 million TEUs.
- First two months of 2025：
- China-Europe freight train trips fell 9.2%; cargo volume declined 11.3%.
- January 2026 to February 2026：
- China-Europe freight train trips rose 31.7% year-on-year to 3,501; 352,100 TEUs of cargo carried (up 25.2%); outbound trips jumped 47.5% to 1,736 (181,200 TEUs, up 41%); inbound journeys rose 19.2% to 1,765 (170,900 TEUs); China-Russia trade rose 12% year-on-year to $39 billion; China-Central Asia rail trips edged up 2.5% to 2,299 (cargo volume up 9.9% to 188,200 TEUs).
- February 2026：
- China-Europe freight train trips climbed 36% year-on-year to 1,659; outbound journeys surged 95.5%; total cargo shipped up 30.7% to 166,500 TEUs; outbound cargo volume up 87.5% to 90,500 TEUs.
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