Experts call for better coordination on China-Europe freight routes

China-Europe freight trains need smoother border crossings and better coordination among countries to reduce delays and improve delivery reliability, experts said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a thematic session on connectivity during the Global Sustainable Transport Forum in Beijing, Lu Chunfang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China had expanded capacity at railway border crossings, but bottlenecks overseas continued to affect services.

"Capacity expansion at ports in China has produced clear results, but problems overseas have not yet been fully resolved," Lu said.

He called for countries to better coordinate cargo transfers at border crossings and expand fixed-schedule services covering the entire journey. Such services have cut the fastest travel time from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to Duisburg, Germany, from 15 days to 11 days.

Lu also called for closer cooperation among railways, ports and shipping companies to develop routes across the Caspian Sea, giving shippers more options for transporting goods between Asia and Europe.

The discussion came as the China-Europe freight train service marks 10 years since China brought its locally operated routes under a single brand. Annual train trips rose from 1,702 in 2016 to 20,022 in 2025. Cumulatively, the trains have transported goods worth more than $520 billion, with services reaching 236 cities in 26 European countries.

Digital systems that share information between railway and customs authorities, together with simplified clearance procedures, have helped cut customs clearance times at some railway crossings from half a day to less than 30 minutes.

Jin Jingdong, chief planner of the Ministry of Transport, said infrastructure development was only part of the task.

"We need not only to strengthen hard infrastructure, but also accelerate work on soft connectivity," Jin said, referring to closer coordination among transport, customs and border authorities to speed up cargo movements.

He cited logistics terminals jointly developed by Chinese and Kazakh companies in Xi'an and Almaty, Kazakhstan. Connected by freight train services, the terminals share customers and help coordinate cross-border shipments.

Young Tae Kim, secretary-general of the International Transport Forum, also highlighted digital documents and mutual recognition of safety measures and standards as ways to reduce cross-border delays.

The challenge extends beyond China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight trains to the wider network of railways, roads and shipping routes that supports international trade.

Lu called for better connections among different modes of transport, aligned customs rules and deeper railway cooperation to strengthen supply chains. Kim, meanwhile, emphasized that transport planning must address resilience alongside sustainability, economic stability and people's well-being.