From small commodities to “Made in Zhejiang” and “Yixin’ou” — a shift in cargo composition for China-Europe freight trains

April 22, 2026, 9:00 AM

China Transportation News Network

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The article takes the "Yixinou" China-Europe Express's export container volume in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 21.5 year-on-year as the starting point, revealing the profound changes that have taken place in its source structure. In the past, the train, which used to be dominated by small commodities such as socks and toys, is now carrying more and more high value-added "Zhejiang Zhizao" products such as auto parts and intelligent electronic equipment, marking the transformation and upgrading of the train from "transporting goods" to "transporting fine products. This change stems from the fact that the train operators take the initiative to meet the development needs of the local manufacturing industry, through the normalization of photovoltaic trains, tailor-made auto parts trains and other ways to accurately serve enterprises to go to sea, ensure order delivery, and open up industrial logistics blocking points. In addition, the article emphasizes the strategic position of the "Yixinou" train as an important logistics channel connecting "the belt and road initiative" countries. It has stably operated 26 lines, reaching more than 160 cities in Asia and Europe, driving more than 100000 kinds of commodities to be exported overseas every year. In order to support this development, Jinhua City has coordinated the construction and operation of "soft connectivity" of hardware facilities, enhanced the distribution function of the hub, and promoted the iteration of the train operation mode from point-to-point to hub-to-hub and network operation, and continuously improved the overseas collection and distribution system, aiming at enhancing the channel toughness, improving the operation efficiency and service quality, thus continuously injecting vigorous impetus into the growth of regional foreign trade.

　　In the first quarter of this year, the "Yiwu-Xin-Europe" China-Europe freight train exported 42,000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 21.5%. In addition to traditional electronic products and daily necessities, high-value-added "Zhejiang Intelligent Manufacturing" items such as auto parts and smart electronic devices showed strong export momentum.

　　Currently, the "Yiwu-Xin-Europe" China-Europe freight train operates steadily on 26 routes, directly reaching over 160 cities in more than 50 countries and regions across the Eurasian continent. It has become an important logistics channel for "Zhejiang Manufacturing" to go global and connect with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, driving the export of over 100,000 types of goods overseas annually and injecting robust momentum into regional foreign trade growth.

　　The transformation of the cargo structure is the intrinsic driving force for the high-quality development of the "Yiwu-Xin-Europe" China-Europe freight train. In the past, when people mentioned the "Yiwu-Xin-Europe" train, they often thought of Yiwu small commodities—socks, toys, accessories, hardware tools, etc. Nowadays, high-value-added "Zhejiang Intelligent Manufacturing" has become the main force on the train's export goods list. The train operators actively align with the development needs of local advanced manufacturing industries, regularly launching photovoltaic special trains to ensure timely delivery of overseas orders for photovoltaic companies, and customizing auto parts special trains to resolve logistics bottlenecks for the automotive industry going global.

　　To further enhance the resilience of the corridor and expand service coverage, Jinhua has coordinated the advancement of "hard construction" and "soft connectivity," significantly improving the functions of assembly, distribution, aggregation, and integration. Efforts have been made to promote iterative upgrades in train operation models, transitioning from early point-to-point direct shipments to hub-to-hub and networked operations. The overseas collection and distribution system has been continuously improved, making train operations more efficient, cargo organization smoother, and service guarantees stronger.

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