(Yicai Global) April 19 -- The number of journeys made by China-Europe freight trains rose by 75 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to 3,398, after the number exceeded 10,000 for the first time last year.

China-Europe trains transported 322,000 twenty-feet equivalent units in the first three months of this year, up 84 percent from a year ago, Meng Wei, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference today. Meng said 182,000 TEUs went to Europe, up 91 percent, and 140,000 TEUs came from Europe, up 77 percent.

The China-Europe Railway Express has seen over 1,000 train journeys a month for 11 consecutive months since May last year, Meng said, adding that the freight service had delivered more than 11.0 million units and 89,000 tons of Covid-19 pandemic control supplies as of the end of last month.

The service has been gradually increasing in size since it started in 2011. The number of journeys last year soared 50 percent from 2019 to 12,406, exceeding 10,000 on a yearly basis for the first time, against a backdrop of the coronavirus hitting conventional cross-border sea and air transportation.

Editor: Tom Litting