On the morning of June 19, coinciding with the successful conclusion of the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit, a China-Europe freight train loaded with 100 TEUs and cargo valued at over 2 million US dollars departed from Hefeibei Station logistics base. This train carries “Made in Anhui” products including white goods, auto parts, and radial truck tires. It will pass through the Khorgos port, traverse the heartland of Central Asia, and ultimately arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The departure of this train marks the cumulative shipment volume of the China-Europe freight trains (Hefei) operated by Hefei International Land Port Co., a subsidiary of Hefei Logistics Group, officially surpassing 5,000 trips. It also showcases the vibrant vitality of Anhui’s manufacturing industry.

Photo by Zhang Kewei

In 2014, the first China-Europe freight train from Hefei blew its whistle and set off towards Central Asia. Eleven years later, the 5,000th train is advancing steadily along this same path of openness. This thousands-of-miles-long “Iron Silk Road” highlights Anhui Province and Hefei City’s deep integration into the Belt and Road Initiative, demonstrating their firm determination to continuously deepen and solidify the development of the China-Europe freight trains (Hefei). What once started as a “new force” with only 1-2 trains per month has now grown into a “steel camel caravan” running steadily 3-4 trains per day, with frequency increasing by dozens of times.

Over the past eleven years, the service has evolved from a single “train to the west” into a “Silk Road network” connecting 20 countries and 170 international hub cities. Core operational indicators such as cargo value, weight, and load factor consistently rank among the top for similar train routes nationwide, with cumulative import and export trade exceeding 80 billion yuan, making it a “golden channel” for Anhui’s opening to the outside world. Since 2025, outbound train container volumes towards Central Asia reached 5,190 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 24.88%. The cross-“Two Seas” train route, launched in July 2024, has also maintained stable operations, with 18 trains dispatched in 2025 so far. This international logistics corridor continues to expand, achieving a transformation from “quantitative accumulation” to “qualitative leap.”

Photo by Zhang Kewei

This train bound for Tashkent vividly embodies the concept of “Anhui goods riding Anhui trains.” The proportion of Anhui local goods transported by the China-Europe freight trains (Hefei) has risen from less than 5% at the start to nearly 90% today. Serving over 600 provincial enterprises cumulatively, it has become a solid backbone for Anhui’s leading industries to “go global.” Especially with customized charter trains, the Hefei route has dispatched over 1,500 dedicated trains for local leading companies such as Chery, JAC Motors, and Meiling. Representative products from emerging sectors like new energy and photovoltaics are accelerating their journey to the world via this efficient channel.

Source: Anhuinews.com