Large increase in rail container transport from China to Poland
The volume of containers transported by rail from China to Poland in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 88.5 per cent and exceeded the results set before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, reported the Eurasian Rail Alliance.
After a period of smaller container imports on the main thread of the New Silk Road passing through Poland, when some companies gave up transport through Russia and Belarus after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, a return of interest in intermodal transport from China has been visible since early 2024. In the first quarter of 2024, trains on the New Silk Road transported 57,837 TEU and 327 thousand tonnes of cargo in containers from China to Poland. Compared to the beginning of last year, this is an increase of 88.5 and 89 per cent correspondingly. This is also a better result than in the first quarters of 2021 and 2022. The average train journey time from China to Małaszewicze is currently 8.56 days.
Poland is the most important destination
In the first three months of the current year, rail container transport from China to Belgium also increased (an increase of 128 per cent), Germany (+68.79 per cent) and Hungary (+78 per cent). However, transport to the Netherlands decreased (-48 per cent). In total, 83,348 TEU and 551,000 tonnes of cargo in containers were transported to Europe on the New Silk Road. This means that as many as two-thirds of intermodal cargo moved by rail from China to Europe went to Poland at that time.
Container transport from Poland to China amounted to 3,714 TEU in Q1, which means an increase of as much as 287 per cent year-to-year. During this time, shipments from Germany to China fell by 52 per cent and from the Netherlands to China fell by 13 per cent. Despite this decline, Germany was the only European country that exported more to China (9,464 TEU) than it imported from there (7,734 TEU). Data for April this year also indicate an increase in intermodal transport from China to Poland (+146 per cent), Belgium (+163 per cent) and Germany (332 per cent).
The development of rail transport on the New Silk Road will be one of the issues of the INTERMODAL IN POLAND 2024 Congress, which will take place in Janów Podlaski. During this largest event of Poland’s intermodal industry, you will be able to participate in a study visit to the most important logistics hub on the New Silk Road – Małaszewicze. More information about this event can be found at: https://intermodalinpoland.eu/