To meet the growing demand for cross-continent freight rail transportation, more cargo trains between China and Europe were operated in the first half of this year, supporting the stability of the international supply chain, operator China State Railway Group said on Thursday.

From January to June, a total of 8,641 freight trains were operated between China and Europe carrying 936,000 containers of goods, a year-on-year increase of 16 and 30 percent, respectively.

Among them, 4,620 carriers loading 499,000 containers were on outbound journeys, up 16 and 29 percent year-on-year.

Some 4,021 trains carrying 437,000 containers took inbound trips, a year-on-year increase of 16 and 31 percent, respectively.

According to the group, the company has strengthened cooperation with railway departments from different regions along the line, improving transport capacity and service quality to promote the high-quality development of the freight service.

It has also promoted the economic and social development of countries along the route, better serving the Belt and Road Initiative.

In China, the operator has arranged longer trains to improve transport capability. Cooperation between overseas railway departments has been strengthened, such as boosting the operation efficiency and reloading capacity at borders.

Service quality has improved, and set-schedule trains are operated on more routes. Unlike regular cargo trains, set-schedule trains adhere to a set schedule along the entire route, allowing customers to better monitor and check the status of cargo and calculate journey times.

Two set-schedule trains between Xi'an of Shaanxi province and Duisburg of Germany have begun operations, transporting cargo between the two cities in 12 days. Another set-schedule service has been operated from Chengdu of Sichuan province to Lodz in Poland, reducing five days' travel time compared with regular cargo trains.

Since opening in 2011, more than 73,000 freight trains between China and Europe were operated, carrying 6.9 million containers. Now the service links to 216 cities in 25 European countries.

Since the first train departed from Chongqing to Duisburg, the service has developed significantly, gradually becoming a calling card for transportation between China and Europe. China has been promoting the operation of cargo trains to ensure the secure, stable and smooth operation of the international supply chain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic especially, the trains, loaded with electronic goods, mechanical parts and daily necessities, departed from cities across China for Poland, Germany and other European countries.