China-Mongolia border port sees record number of China-Europe freight trains

The number of China-Europe freight trains via Erenhot, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, reached a record high in 2020 despite the impact of COVID-19, local railway authorities said.

A China-Europe freight train runs through the national gate at Erenhot Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

A total of 2,379 trains passed through the port, an increase of 53.3 percent year on year, carrying 355,193 twenty-foot equivalent units of goods, up 32 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Hohhot Group.

Among the total, the port handled 1,232 inbound trains, an increase of 49 percent year on year, while 1,147 outbound trains were recorded, up 58.2 percent.

The imported and exported goods carried by freight trains through Erenhot include timber, auto parts, textile products, glass objects and others.

Analysts said that as some international flights were suspended and some cargo ships were denied entry to ports due to COVID-19, trains continued their transcontinental routes from China to Europe and have become an important support for stabilizing the international supply chain.

Erenhot Port, an important channel for international cargo in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has 43 China-Europe freight train routes passing through it.