Tracks to continent help boost development prospects in inland cities

Seven years ago, companies in the inland city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, either had to send products to nearby coastal ports to be shipped, or reserve space on expensive air cargo flights if they wanted to export to Europe.

Now, new rail freight services have become the favored option, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as global shipping capacity and air traffic have been greatly reduced, according to Kang Yan, deputy general manager of Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co.

The freight train service from Zhengzhou to Europe was launched in 2013, with one journey a month made to the northern port city of Hamburg, Germany. In recent years, services between Zhengzhou and Europe have grown rapidly, with some 120 trips made on average each month.