Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Lu Fengbao) news: According to the China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd., as of March 23, 2025, the Horgos Port and Alataw Pass, two major railway ports in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have handled over 90,000 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains.

Photo shows a China-Europe freight train departs from the Standard Gauge Yard I of the Alashankou Station and proceeds to the integrated inspection yard. (Photo by Zheng Xin)

In recent years, with the deepening of the Belt and Road Initiative and the continuous development of Xinjiang's opening-up, China's China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train services have flourished. The number of China-Europe (Central Asia) trains originating from multiple provinces and cities in China, as well as from Xinjiang itself, has increased year by year. Consequently, the volume of trains passing through Xinjiang's two major railway ports has seen significant growth. In 2024, the two ports handled a total of 16,400 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains, marking a 14 percent year-on-year increase. This also marked the fifth consecutive year of maintaining an annual throughput of over 10,000 trains, with an annual average increase of more than 1,000 trains.

To meet the growing demand for cross-border trade, Xinjiang's railway authorities have vigorously pursued capacity expansion and infrastructure upgrades at the ports and their supporting corridors. The full operation of the double-track line on the Jinghe-Alataw Pass Section of Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway and the commissioning of Alataw Pass's comprehensive inspection yard have further enhanced the infrastructure at the pass.

Since last year, Alataw Pass has broken its daily record for handling broad-gauge and standard-gauge trains six times consecutively, achieving a maximum daily throughput of 22 pairs of broad-gauge trains and 20 pairs of standard-gauge trains.

Leveraging its strengths in precise scheduling and production command, Xinjiang's railway sector has efficiently coordinated transportation resources, implementing integrated oversight and unified management for freight train operations. By rationally adjusting train schedules across the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, Jinghe-Yining-Horgos Railway, and the China-Kazakhstan Railway, the sector has optimized traffic organization. Cross-border freight trains are prioritized in transshipment, marshalling, and dispatch, while dynamic adjustments to cargo categories across routes have accelerated wagon turnover. Additionally, efforts to enhance the organization of return-trip freight trains and expand the scale of scheduled China-Europe freight services have driven improvements in both quality and efficiency.

Urumqi Customs has vigorously implemented methods such as "Railway Express" modes, establishing a round-the-clock customs clearance reservation mechanism. Additionally, dedicated service windows for China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains have been set up, enabling trains to complete customs and border inspections in the same area with a single stop. This innovation has reduced clearance time by 30 minutes per train, ensuring efficient passage for cross-border freight trains.

As of now, the Alataw Pass operates 123 freight train routes, connecting to 21 countries including Germany and Poland. Meanwhile, the Horgos Port serves 87 freight train routes, reaching 46 cities and regions across 18 countries.

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