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.

Customer interest in rail freight via the standard corridor has grown in Q2/2026, largely driven by the current geopolitical landscape. As a result of these global shifts, rail transport is gaining recognition as a viable alternative to air and sea cargo, which are currently experiencing longer transit times.

Operationally, there have been some challenges along the route. For instance, in April, transit times from the main rail terminals in China to Małaszewicze in Poland increased to around 22-25 days. However, we anticipate the situation will stabilize in the second half of May.

It is also important to note that the Russian sanctions policy is still in place, requiring a detailed inspection of the HS codes for all goods being transported. (Click for more)

Market Overview:

• Rail freight rates increased by 44% in May compared to December 2025.

• The increased demand is driven by a shift from air to rail freight, resulting from current market challenges and rising demand for full block trains from the e-commerce industry.

• Available space remains tight, signaling the potential for a continuing rate increase in June.

• Container leasing costs in China are rising.

• Border congestion persists in in Dostyk (KZ),and transloading now takes 7 days on average. Meanwhile, the Altynkol border crossing is reportedly facing a wagon shortage.

• Due to this congestion, trains are frequently split up into 2-4 batches during transloading. Some containers might be detached from the main train and get stuck or be released later by KZ customs.

• Additionally, Russian Customs have tightened monitoring on the China-EU trade lane, requesting additional technical descriptions at either the China/KZ or KZ/Russia border to verify that HS codes are correctly categorized and the cargo is not sanctioned.

Current market assessment from May 20, 2026:

Key Takeaways

Our Recommendations for Customers

• Overall, operations are running smoothly. However, due to increasing demand, bookings should be placed as early as possible.

• We also recommend checking in advance whether there is regular demand, so that additional capacity can be accommodated accordingly.

• Terminal-to-terminal buying rates, but also trucking rates are expected to continue rising in April.

• 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 now even more an interesting option in terms of both costs and transit time.