CR express carries weight of expectations

In Chongqing, traders are getting on the right track

In ancient times, Chinese merchants headed west to transport tea to Europe. Today, Italian trader Nicola Sangiovanni is helping European wines travel east to China.

Two years ago, he was inspired to start a business selling imported food and drink in Chongqing, a bustling metropolis in the southwest, after hearing about the Belt and Road Initiative.

A freight train leaves Yiwu in Zhejiang province bound for Madrid on April 15. Chen Jian / For China Daily

The service, now part of the rebranded China Railway Express network, departs from Chongqing and travels more than 11,000 kilometers across Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland before arriving in Duisburg, Germany. The service has been credited with greatly boosting trade and investment between China and countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. 【Full story】

Cargo goes the distance, and drivers take it one step at a time

For Zhong Junlan, taking the helm of a China Railway Express train is like running a relay race. "I drive to point A," he said, "and then another driver takes over, then another, and so on, until the cargo reaches its final destination."

It is a race he has been running since 2013, when he was chosen to drive the first leg of the inaugural cross-border freight service from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, to Lodz in Poland.

The journey to Guangyuan, 360 kilometers up the track, takes on average more than five hours, he said. From there, about 50 drivers will steer the cargo in shifts the rest of the way, some 9,466 km, over about 12 days. 【Full story】

Central Asian foods offer a taste of things to come

A display of handicrafts at the Kazakhstan section of an international trade fair draws visitors in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Provided To China Daily

With a long whistle to herald its arrival, the freight train Chang'an pulled into the station at Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, in late March. On board was 1,000 metric tons of rapeseed oil and 1,000 tons of sunflower seed oil from Kazakhstan.

It was the first time the freight service had carried goods produced in the Central Asian nation.

The oil was bound for Xi'an Aiju Grain and Oil Industry Group, and in a few months it will be on Chinese dining tables, according to the company's chairman, Jia Heyi. 【Full story】