‘Tianshan’ China-Europe freight trains maintain busy schedule during National Day holiday

During the National Day holiday, the “Tianshan” cross-border freight train service has operated at peak capacity of up to three departures per day from the Urumqi International Land Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, maintaining a steady flow of goods to Central Asia and Europe.

To guarantee efficient clearance of foreign trade cargo throughout the holiday running from Oct 1 to Oct 7, railway authorities, customs and station operators set up a coordinated dispatching mechanism. Operating around the clock on a 24/7 basis, they adopted streamlined procedures to significantly boost cross-border logistics efficiency.

As of September 30 this year, the “Tianshan” China-Europe (China-Central Asia) freight train service had made over 750 trips, already approaching its total volume for the whole of last year.

Named after the majestic Tianshan Mountains, the service was launched in December 2023. Starting from just two to three trips per week in its early days, it has steadily scaled up into a regular daily operation, now averaging more than two departures a day and reaching as many as three on peak days. Its routes currently extend to 19 countries.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday warned of surging fossil fuel prices, saying measures would be taken to tackle rising energy costs as winter approaches.

Addressing the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen said natural gas prices in Europe had jumped 140 percent and diesel prices had doubled since late February, with an extra 100 billion euros spent on imported fossil fuels.

With winter approaching, high energy costs were likely to put more strain on households and businesses, she said, adding the European Union would roll out measures including a strategic dialogue for European refineries and joint energy purchases to curb rising energy prices and cut reliance on imported fossil fuels.