On the morning of December 15, 2025, Yining launches its first China-Europe freight train, the "Ili" China-Europe freight train, from Yining rail freight station. The new line opens a direct rail corridor to Central Asia and Europe, linking the city to the Belt and Road network and turning a simple transport route into a full trade hub.

On that day, the "Ili" China-Europe freight train pulled out of Yining rail freight station at 12:40 p.m. It uses a one-stop sea-rail link: containers ride the rails to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province, then move straight to ships under a single bill of lading.

Backed by Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the train came with a sleek, full-package service that trimmed time, cut bills and gave goods from Yining a faster lane to the world, while drawing in new investors and suppliers.

Officials said the train would start with one trip each week or every two weeks, then add more departures and return runs to balance cargo flows. The goal was to build a tight, reliable network and turn the "Ili Express" into a trusted name in global logistics.

Photo shows the "Ili" China-Europe freight train sounds its whistle and sets off.

Yining positions itself as Xinjiang's deputy core and a global gateway city. It seizes the twin chances of industrial relocation and a new free-trade zone. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, its foreign trade leaps to 11 billion yuan (about 1.56 billion U.S. dollars), nearly five times the starting figure. A multimodal logistics network now takes shape, and the capacity of its international corridors keeps rising.

The "Ili Express" is the payoff of stacked local strengths. It forges a fresh freight corridor to Europe and Central Asia, and acts as a golden link that pulls in trade, money and resources. Thanks to the train, farm goods, chemicals and textiles from the Ili Valley move to world markets faster and more cheaply. The line also helps build an open economy that faces west but reaches in every direction, turning Yining into a true East-West logistics node that spans Eurasia.

(The Media Convergence Center of Yining City, Reporters: Zhang Yan, Cai Zhenyu, Bayita and Nurhati)