The China-Europe Railway Express saw steady growth in the first quarter of this year, with a total of 1,941 trips run by freight trains carrying 174,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, increasing 15 percent and 18 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to China State Railway Group Co Ltd as reported by China Communications News.

In March, the China-Europe Railway Express has made 809 trips, up 30 percent from the previous year, and carried 73,000 TEUs in cargo, growing 36 percent year-on-year.

Faced with the increasingly severe situation of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Europe, China State Railway Group is providing support by prioritizing shipments of epidemic prevention materials, and is taking multiple measures to make sure international logistics channels and supply chains run smoothly.

On March 21, the first freight train carrying anti-epidemic materials to Madrid departed from Yiwu with 100 TEUs loaded, including two containers of over 110,000 medical masks and 766 pieces of protective clothing, valued at 350,000 yuan.

By the end of March, a total of 333,800 pieces of anti-epidemic materials weighing 494 tons had been delivered to Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany and other European countries via China-Europe freight rail.

At present, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Yiwu and other major cities on the China-Europe Railway Express have resumed transportation.

According to China Communications News, China Railway Group will take targeted action to ensure railway ports running smoothly, enhance international railway transport cooperation and strengthen the organization of China-Europe freight trains in the future.