As these challenges persist, the role of the China-Europe freight train services in supporting international commerce will continue to evolve and expand over the long run, said Li Muyuan, executive vice-president of the China Container Industry Association in Beijing.

Together with the China-Laos railroad service and China-Central Asia freight trains, regional connectivity and business connections between China and these regions will be further enriched, Li added.

That sentiment is in line with the latest data.

The number of China-Europe freight train services grew by 10 percent year-on-year to 6,184 trips in the first four months of 2024, data from Beijing-based China State Railway Group Co Ltd (China Railway) showed.

About 675,000 20-foot equivalent units of goods were transported via freight trains during this period, up 11 percent on a yearly basis, according to the country's railroad operator.

By the end of May, about 90,000 China-Europe freight train trips had been completed in total, serving 223 cities across 25 European countries.

Since its inception in 2011, the range of products transported by the China-Europe freight train services has grown significantly, from just 53 items to over 50,000 products by the end of April, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

Numerous cities have introduced tailored services, including dedicated trains for transporting specific goods like timber, tea, edible oil and new energy vehicles, said Zhang Tao, deputy director of the GAC's department of port control.

Eager to reach more destinations in Europe and other regions, China Railway has initiated transport testing for the China-Europe freight trains from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Chongqing, and Yiwu, Zhejiang province to Poti, Georgia, and Istanbul, Turkiye, this year.

Other new routes have also been opened.

These include Harbin, Heilongjiang province to Tilburg in the Netherlands; Shijiazhuang, Hebei province to Belgrade, Serbia, and Qingdao, Shandong province to Moscow.