Alataw Pass sees double-digit growth in China-Europe freight trains

Alataw Pass in China has registered a 10.35 per cent year-on-year increase in China-Europe freight train trips in the first quarter of this year, according to the China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd.

Reported by Chinese media outlet Xinhua, the pass has handled 1,588 freight train trips, carrying 3.33 million tonnes of cargo during this period, marking a 23.8 percent YoY growth.

This significant rise in the number of freight train trips is attributed to the improvement in customs clearance efficiency, as China Railway Urumqi Group claimed.

A spokesperson for the Alataw railway station informed that: “The average daily number of China-Europe freight trains handled by the port remains 17 today, compared to a monthly average of 3.5 trains in 2012.”

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The Alataw Pass has witnessed over 30,000 China-Europe freight train trips from 2011 to late March this year. It is now handling a more significant number of imported supplies such as wine, chocolates, and chemical fertilizers, marking an increase in the region’s trade activities.

Notably, China-Europe freight trains that pass through the Alataw Pass account for over 30 per cent of such trains in China, reaching 19 countries, including Germany, Poland, and Russia.

In March, the number of China-Europe freight train routes passing through the Alataw Pass reached a milestone of 100.

Source: porttechnology.org