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| Russia's Sapsan high-speed train. (Source: Russian Railways) |
Rail routes through Russia are also seeing growing demand, although they account for only a small proportion of containers transported between the Far East and Europe.
Freight companies say bookings on the route have surged, as it is cheaper than air freight and faster than sea freight.
Julija Sciglaite, business development director of RailGate Europe, a company that transports goods from China via Russia to European countries, said that shipping times range from 14 to 25 days depending on the origin and destination, and are significantly faster than by sea.
Ms. Sciglaite informed that after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the number of bookings for the route via Russia dropped significantly, but last year, the route began to recover due to reasonable transit times and affordable prices.
“Notably, after the attacks on ships in the Red Sea in late 2023, the demand for rail transport increased even more,” she stressed.
Mr. Igor Tambaca, CEO of the Dutch logistics company Rail Bridge Cargo, also said that the number of bookings on the China-Europe railway route has increased by 37% in the past four weeks.
The cost of shipping a 40-foot container from China to Europe by rail is around $7,900.
Shippers who do not want to send goods via rail through Russia can use the route that runs from China through Kazakhstan to Türkiye across the Caspian Sea, but this takes about 26-29 days.
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