STORY: Expanding China-Europe freight train service facilitates trade, delivers prosperity
SHOOTING TIME: April 24/May 8, 2024
DATELINE: May 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:29
LOCATION: XI'AN/CHONGQING, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the China-Europe freight train service in Xi'an
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YUAN XIAOJUN, General manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation
3. various of the China-Europe freight train service in Chongqing
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): JIANG TONG, Train driver at Tuanjiecun Station, Chongqing
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG RONG, Deputy general manager, Yuxinou (Chongqing) Logistics Co., Ltd.

STORYLINE:

A train fully loaded with diverse goods departed from China's Xi'an on Saturday, bound for Malaszewicze, Poland.

This train marks a significant milestone as the total number of China-Europe freight train trips has surpassed 90,000.

In recent years, rapid development of the China-Europe freight trains has opened up a new channel for the inland regions of Asia and Europe, enhancing their economic and trade cooperation.
   
In Xi'an, a freight terminal was jointly launched by KTZ Express -- a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's national railway company, and Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation earlier this year.

The China-Kazakhstan (Xi'an) Trade Logistics has been built to further facilitate goods transportation between China, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Europe.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YUAN XIAOJUN, General manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation
"After we started to cooperate with Kazakhstan's railway company, especially after the establishment of the joint venture, the overall efficiency of organizing and operating freight trains from Xi'an to Central Asia and Europe has significantly improved."

The China-Europe freight train service is a flagship program of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

And Chongqing is one of the first cities in the country to offer such service.

With its expanding rail freight network linking China and Europe, today's Chongqing has become a pivotal hub for China-Europe freight trains.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): JIANG TONG, Train driver at Tuanjiecun Station, Chongqing
"In 2011, when the first China-Europe freight train started to operate, there were only about a dozen drivers. Now there are about 70 to 80 drivers working for China-Europe freight trains. There's been an increase in the number of drivers. And also there's been an increase in cargoes transported via the railway."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG RONG, Deputy general manager, Yuxinou (Chongqing) Logistics Co., Ltd.
"The China-Europe freight train is at least 30 days faster than our traditional maritime shipping. In the first year, we only had 17 China-Europe freight trains departing from Chongqing. After more than a decade's development, at peak times, we now operate around 100 freight trains each week."

From 2016 to 2023, the annual number of China-Europe freight train trips surged from 1,702 to over 17,000.

This extensive network currently serves 223 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, with its service covering almost the entire Eurasian continent.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xi'an/Chongqing, China.
(XHTV)