On November 19th, a China Europe freight train loaded with daily necessities departed from Ganzhou International Land Port in Jiangxi and headed towards Russia.

Over the past decade, the "steel camel caravan" shuttling between the Eurasian continent has gradually brought Jiangxi, which is not near the sea or borders, closer to the world, and has a broader prospect of creating a highland for reform and opening up in inland areas.

On November 24, 2015, a freight train loaded with solar modules with a value of approximately 5 million US dollars departed from Henggang Railway Station in Nanchang and headed to Rotterdam, Netherlands, marking the official launch of the Jiangxi China Europe freight train.

Li Jian, 36 years old this year, is the driver of the first China Europe freight train in Jiangxi. For ten years, he and his colleagues drove motorcycles to pull the "Steel Camel Team" day and night. From the first diesel locomotive to the current electric locomotive, the traction weight of locomotives has jumped from 3500 tons to 5500 tons, and the train speed has increased from 80 kilometers per hour to 120 kilometers per hour.

Since its launch in 2015, the scale of Jiangxi China Europe freight trains has steadily increased. According to statistics, as of now, Jiangxi has opened 12 international transportation routes and built an international logistics corridor that connects 224 cities in 25 countries in Asia and Europe, including the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

The annual consumption of wood in Nankang District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, known as the "Capital of Solid Wood Home Furnishings in China," is about 10 million cubic meters, of which 80% relies on imports. According to Ye Zhangnan, the manager of Ganzhou International Port Business Department of Nanchang Railway Logistics Center, relying on the China Europe freight train, the return journey time for transporting timber in Nankang has been compressed to 12 days, saving 25 days compared to traditional sea transportation and reducing comprehensive logistics costs by 18%.

Thanks to the stable operation and efficient convenience of the China Europe freight train, the company's European customers have gradually increased. From January to October this year, 68 TEUs of goods have been exported, "said Wen Shitong, the head of a home furnishing company in Nankang District. With the support of the China Europe freight train, the company will further expand into the European and Central Asian markets.

In the process of building an international logistics hub at Ganzhou International Land Port, three types of train transportation modes, namely China Europe freight trains, rail sea intermodal freight trains, and domestic trade freight trains, are working together, and train operation modes continue to emerge.

Niu Hongzhen, Director of the Ganzhou International Land Port Management Committee, said that in the past decade, Ganzhou International Land Port has operated over 1700 China Europe freight trains. We are making every effort to promote the integration of international land ports, comprehensive bonded zones, cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, and import trade promotion innovation demonstration zones, and are committed to building a new highland of inland open economy

Hundreds of kilometers away, the gantry cranes and traffic flow shuttle through Nanchang International Land Port, and foreign trade trains are ready to depart. Here, 12 China Europe freight trains and 12 rail sea intermodal freight trains connect 134 countries and regions worldwide. In the first 10 months of this year, the freight volume of the land port reached 2.1837 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 15.19%.

Along the steel rails and following the sound of the flute, the role of the Jiangxi China Europe freight train is becoming increasingly evident. As of now, the Jiangxi China Europe freight train has operated a total of 2185 trains, sending 242000 standard containers of goods, over 5.7 million tons, and a value of over 9 billion US dollars. The goods transported by the train have expanded from daily necessities and household appliances to cross-border e-commerce products and cold chain fresh produce.

The railway department stated that in the future, it will continue to optimize freight service products represented by the China Europe freight train and the sea rail intermodal freight train, promote the stability and quality of Jiangxi's foreign trade, and contribute railway strength to building a highland for inland reform and opening up in Jiangxi.