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 continues to offer a stable service, with transit times of approximately 14-16 days from the main rail terminals in China to Małaszewicze in Poland.
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)
Market Overview:
- Most rail operators maintained stable rate levels in December. There were slight changes in the range of USD 50–200 in both directions, depending on the operator and region, but no consistent development of a noteworthy value.
- Available space in Wuhan is almost fully booked until the end of December. The situation at other terminals is remains less constrained.
- Capacity on eastbound trains is fully booked until the end of December due to the cancellation of final departures ahead of the Christmas holidays.
- There is currently some congestion at the Dostyk border crossing, mainly due to strong winds and a shortage of wagons. The average transloading time is around 5-8 days for standard trains and 2-4 days for full-schedule trains.
- There have been reports of new customs inspections at the Altynkol border crossing, with some rail operators paying an additional “green channel fee” of approximately USD 300-600 to avoid inspection. If this surcharge is not paid and a container is selected for inspection, it will be up to the customer to decide what to do. Options include appointing a special agent (at a cost of around USD 1,000) to speed up the process, or following the standard procedure, which may take an average of one month.
- Last month, we informed you about a new full-schedule train from Xi’an. Based on the first trains we can now confirm that the average transit time is 14-15 days to Česká Třebová, 15-16 days to Dunajská Streda, and 15-16 days to Budapest.
- Please note that some rail departures between December 25 and 31 may be cancelled by local authorities because this year’s subsidies have been exhausted.
- Please be aware that there will be extremely limited space available from China to Europe during the holiday season.
New services:
- Jinan launched its first full-schedule train to CEE on November 20. This bi-weekly service saw its first train arrive in Budapest after a transit time of 15 days. The second train is already on its way through Central Asia.
- Shijiazhuang also launched a fast train in December with weekly services via Erenhot, Mongolia. The first train departed from Shijiazhuang on December 4 and entered Russia six days later without undergoing customs inspections.
Current market assessment from December 16, 2025:
Legend: traffic lights showing current status, arrow indicates possible development of transport rates.
Current Key Takeaways
Our Recommendations for Customers
- If possible, please use or request full scheduled trains, as there will be no cancellations during the holiday season. Congestion will be much shorter and transit times will be faster, making the overall schedule the most reliable.
- Operations are running smoothly, with transit times of around 15 days from the main terminals in China to Małaszewicze and around 15-16 days to Dunajská Streda, Česká Třebová and Budapest. Rail services are highly recommended to our customers.
- Terminal-to-terminal buying rates in December remain stable. However, some rail operators have already announced a rate increase in January, mainly due to the rush before Chinese New Year. Trucking capacity in China will be particularly limited, which will affect the rates accordingly.
- 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 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]
- Fast Schedule Trains: With faster transit times, and less congestion, this solution is a reliable option.
- 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]