China Railway, the Chinese national rail operator, has come out with numbers for the first seven months of 2025. The company reports positive numbers all across the board, but leaves much to be guessed about China-Europe figures.
The rail operator welcomes the 23.2% increase in traffic to Central Asia. Between January and July 2025, a total of 8,526 freight trains made their way into the neighbouring region. In the south, the new China-Laos Railway helped move 3,441 million tonnes of freight. That is an increase of 6.4%.
At the same time, Chinese media write that China-Europe freight trains “maintained stable operation.” China Railway does not have publicly available data on the development of freight traffic on that route, so the picture remains somewhat unclear.
However, the lack of numbers suggests that China-Europe traffic has disappointed compared to other directions. Earlier, the Eurasian Rail Alliance reported that rail container transportation was down by 22% in H1 2025 compared to H1 2024. In total, 160,600 TEU moved across Eurasia between January and June 2025.
It is likely that the decline in rail traffic is a direct result of lower maritime shipping rates, meaning that shippers are more likely to opt for ships rather than trains.
Domestic China Railway numbers for January-July 2025:
- Mining and construction materials: +13.6%
- Smelting materials: +8.2%
- Grain: +12.7%
- Rail-water intermodal containers: +17.1%
- General logistics contracts signed: 1,275 billion tonnes
- Total coal transported: 1,196 billion tonnes
- Of which thermal coal: 816 million tonnes
Western Land-Sea Corridor
China’s Western Land-Sea Corridor, which connects western provinces to ports in the Beibu Gulf, south of Beijing. In the first seven months of this year, freight trains transported 872,000 standard containers on the corridor, a 75.3% increase year-on-year, exceeding 800,000 containers 130 days ahead of schedule, according to China Railway.
“This year, 1,271 commercial vehicles were exported from Chongqing to Saudi Arabia and other destinations via Qinzhou Port, using a ‘railway cage wagon + roll-on/roll-off ship’ model”, writes the rail operator. “This boosts Chinese companies’ international expansion. The New Western Land-Sea Corridor’s logistics and efficient rail transport are increasing these exports.”