Cast your vote for the RailFreight Ambassador 2023
European Silk Road Summit 2023The nominations for the 2023 RailFreight Ambassador are out, it is now time to cast your votes. The RailFreight Ambassador of 2023 will be awarded at the European Silk Road Summit 2023, on 30 November...Read more
Russia-China rail freight volumes keep skyrocketing
Rail freight volumes between China and Russia are continuing to increase. Over the first nine months of 2023, more than 128 million tons were transported via rail between the two countries. This signals a 51.5...Read more
Budapest-Belgrade line to be ready by 2025, says Hungarian Minister
The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó claimed that the Budapest-Belgrade (BuBe) railway line, currently under construction, should be ready by 2025. The line will be an important piece for the Belt...Read more
China turns to the Middle Corridor and prepares for investments
It has been almost two years since the Middle Corridor came under the spotlight after the war in Ukraine began. The corridor was forced to grow fast amid multiple challenges to accommodate parts of rail...Read more
Małaszewicze volumes continue sharp downward trajectory
Małaszewicze, the major European border crossing for Silk Road trains, has experienced a 24,3 per cent drop in Westbound volumes, reaching 57,180 TEU for H1 2023, according to the Polish Road Transport Institute. Eastbound volumes...Read more
‘Sidestepping China to build a new corridor will not produce results’
India-Middle East-Europe Corridor “Is it just a geopolitical game or a pledge for regional economic development?” This is the fundamental question to ask when considering the potential of the recently proposed India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor (IMEC), according to...Read more
‘Stranded containers in Russia could disrupt China-Russia supply chain’
Around 150,000 surplus containers are stranded in Russia due to trade volume imbalances, according to container logistics monitoring platform Container xChange. The imbalance is supposedly caused by the rise of imports from China and the...Read more
Controversy grows over China’s BRI investment in Pakistan
China has allegedly rejected a Belt and Road investment plan proposed by Pakistan. The proposal targeted adding more components to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The Pakistani Ministry of Planning Development & Special Activities...Read more
Kyrgyzstan Railways deny CKU line being indefinitely postponed
Kyrgyzstan Railways denied the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is indefinitely delayed. The reaction resulted from various media outlets reporting that the highly anticipated CKU railway is postponed due to a lack of financial means. “That is...Read more
Germany eyes EU financing for more rail with Central Asia
Germany and Central Asian countries are amid attempts to strengthen their trade cooperation and possibly increase rail connections. A few days ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with the heads of five Central Asian countries,...Read more
Kazakhstan invests big to double railway to China
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) will purchase 108,000 tonnes of rail, over 1,500 sets of sleepers and fastenings. The equipment will be used for the doubling of the Moyynty-Dostyk railway, which connects Kazakhstan to China via Alashankou.Read more
Hungary remains positive on BRI expecting more future benefits
Hungary addressed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a “clear success” despite the drop in China-Europe train volumes this year. On the one hand, the country is envisioned as a future Silk Road rail...Read more
Making sense of the Middle Corridor in a post-war context
For forwarders focusing on containerised cargo volumes, using the Middle Corridor between China and Europe costs more than it brings. The route gained much exposure because of the war in Ukraine as an option to...Read more
Five Silk Road connections added to fixed timetable
Five China-Europe rail connections have now been integrated into a fixed timetable by China Railways and will now be running on a weekly basis. Three of them concern westbound services, while the remaining two are...Read moreNominate your RailFreight Ambassador 2023
Are you a proud believer in rail transport between Europe and China? Have you recently added value to the New Silk Road, or have you been there since the very beginning? Are you considered a...Read more
China’s new 50-foot containers unlikely to be used on Silk Road
China has started using 50-foot containers for rail freight transportation. Currently, this is the largest container size in the Chinese logistic market, weighing 36 tonnes. Compared to the 40-foot container, the 50-foot container has a...Read more
Can politics and business align? Policy, transparency and logistics
Politics and business can be intertwined in many ways but also conflicting. This is especially the case regarding foreign investments and possible influence by third countries in Europe, for example. The same applies to supply...Read more
Another sanction measure could impact westbound Silk Road volumes
A new sanction measure, which will take effect at the end of this month, could impact China-Europe volumes. Starting 30 September, the import of certain Russian iron and steel products processed in a third country...Read more
Webinar recap: three updates for the Silk Road situation
War in Ukraine has made the transit route via Russia a delicate choice. Legal-wise, most of the products can still be transhipped via rail crossing Russia; in practice, European companies remain critical and hesitant to...Read more