Jilin's 1st China-Europe freight line takes lead on the east route
Of all freight trains on the east route of the China-Europe freight trains that pass through the Manzhouli Land Port in Inner Mongolia in 2017, the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe International Rail Freight Line has led in train frequency and freight volume, according to the Changchun International Land Port Company Limited which operates the line.
The rail freight line is the first of its kind between China and European countries from Jilin Province in northeastern China. A second line, the Changchun-Hunchun-Europe International Rail Freight Line, is preparing for its pilot journey within three months.
Commissioned in August 2015, the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe Line soon became a convenient cargo link between northeast China, north China, south China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and European destinations.
According to customs statistics, the freight volume and value of the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe Line in the first three quarters of 2017 accounted for 30.9 percent of the total freight volume and 22 percent of the total value of the 41 China-Europe trans-continental trains passing through the Manzhouli Land Port.
Moreover, the import and export volume through the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe Line amounted to 26,538 TEU in 2017, which is 13 times the sum in 2015 and 2016 during the pilot period. The total value of the freights in 2017 was over US$991 million, nine times the sum of the previous two years.
The utility of the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe Line far exceeded the expectations, according to Changchun International Land Port Company in its latest annual summary. So far, the line has developed multiple types of freight trains, including a whole-vehicle export train, a wood material import train, and a mineral water import train. Through the whole-vehicle export train, China has exported more than 1,000 domestic brand vehicles.
By far, the Changchun-Manzhouli-Europe Line has served more than 2,100 companies, including Fortune 500 companies like BMW, Volvo, Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Colgate, and Huawei.
The Changchun International Land Port Company has also published updates on the progress in the construction and preparation of the Changchun-Hunchun-Europe Line, Jilin's new main line for China-Europe trains. Trains on this line will start from Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, and complete the exit and entry process at Hunchun Land Port in Jilin Province. The Changchun-Hunchun-Europe Line is expected to complete its pilot run in the first quarter of this year and formally begin operations within the year.
The Changchun-Hunchun-Europe Line will help to ease congestion at the exit ports for China-Europe trains (especially the one on the east route), and contribute to cross-border cooperation initiatives such as China's Belt and Road Initiative.