Railfreight Insights
Read our Railfreight Insights to find out about the latest developments on the New Iron Silk Road between China and Europe. Get an update on trade and rate developments as well as flexible solutions offered by cargo-partner.
Rail freight via the standard corridor maintains a stable service, with transit times of approximately 20-22 days from the main rail terminals in China to destinations in Western and Eastern Europe.
However, geopolitical issues still present challenges for this mode of transport. The Russian sanctions policy is still in place, requiring a very detailed check on HS codes of goods. (Click for more)
- Following the reopening of the BY/PL border, rail traffic has gradually resumed. The backlog is being cleared, and transit times have fully returned to normal.
- The closure had only a minor impact on transit times: In September, it took an average of 19 days to reach Małaszewicze and 25 days to reach Dunajská Streda – just 2-3 days longer than in August.
- No further delays are currently being observed on the route.
- In mid-November, three new connections from China to Europe were launched with 'full-schedule' trains: These trains depart weekly on the same day, with priority handling at the border, faster on-carriage from Małaszewicze, and guaranteed fixed transit times.
- Two trains depart from from Xi’an – one to Budapest, scheduled for Wednesdays (via Altynkol) and second one to and Česká Třebová every Friday (via Alashankou). The announced transit times is 16-17 days.
- Another full-schedule train is linking Zhengzhou and Hamburg within 18 days, with departures every Sunday.
Current market assessment from November 11, 2025:
Legend: traffic lights showing current status, arrow indicates possible development of transport rates.
Current Key Takeaways
Our Recommendations for Customers
- Rail services recovered quickly after the recent border closure. Operations are running smoothly again, with transit times of around 14 days from the main terminals in China to Małaszewicze and around 20-22 days to destinations in Western and Eastern Europe.
- Although terminal-to-terminal buying rates in November remain stable, we have noticed that some forwarders are offering highly competitive rates for FOB shipments. This indicates a change in their pricing structure, with certain costs being absorbed elsewhere.
- In comparison to sea freight, which is also affected by many volatile factors such as blank sailings and low schedule reliability, rail freight remains competitive and is still an interesting option in terms of both costs and transit time.
cargo-partner Solutions:
Our service utilizes the standard routing from China/Kazakhstan with Małaszewicze as the entry point to Europe.
- Benefit from our LCL services with weekly departures from Shanghai, Shenzhen and Ningbo to Europe via our hubs in Warsaw and Dunajská Streda. [click for more]
- Use our FCL services for frequent and secure connections from several major gateway stations in China and Europe, with the possibility to organize a block train solution. [click for more]
- Take a look at our FCL and LCL solutions beyond China – if you want to use rail transport to Europe from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand and India. [click for more]