From January to April this year, Qingdao, Shandong province handled 262 China-Europe freight train trips. [Photo/WeChat account: shsfqgwh]

From January to April this year, Qingdao, Shandong province handled 262 China-Europe freight train journeys. Among them, a total of 105 trains were dispatched to Europe via the China Railway Express, a 26 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to official data.

Qingdao's now boasts 22 international freight train routes, connecting 23 cities in 54 member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Qingdao is currently leveraging its regional advantages, enhancing the functions of the international hub port of the SCO, and actively applying to establish a China-Europe freight train assembly center.

Through regular operations, establishing new routes, and other means, the Qingdao China-Europe freight trains are continuously expanding their reach. The secure, stable, and efficient international logistics corridor has provided robust support for the high-quality development of the city's open economy.

Since March this year, the China-Europe freight trains have been running steadily from the China-SCO demonstration zone to Budapest, Hungary, with a fixed schedule every Thursday. These services cater to enterprises such as Haier Group, Hisense Group, and Linglong Tire, ensuring smooth, stable, and efficient railway transport routes from Shandong to Central and Eastern Europe.

On May 2, a China-Europe freight train loaded with machinery, carbon black, rubber, and other products departed from the multimodal transport center in the China-SCO demonstration zone. It is expected to arrive in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in 18 days. Some goods will be distributed by rail and shipped to Belgrade, capital of Serbia. Most of the goods transported on this train are molds and raw materials needed by Linglong Tire's factory in Serbia.

Sun Songtao, vice-president of Shandong Linglong Tyre Co Ltd, stated that this large-scale transportation not only demonstrates the efficiency and reliability of the China-Europe freight trains, but also plays a crucial role in the stable supply chain strategy of Linglong Tire's Serbian factory. By ensuring the timely arrival of key raw materials and molds, the factory can consistently produce high-quality tires to meet market demands, thereby laying a solid foundation for the factory's long-term stable development.