(Yicai Global) Sept. 16 -- The number of cargo trains between China and Europe has reached the milestone of 10,000 trips earlier than ever this year and two months before it did last year amid continued supply chain hiccups since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

From January to August, the figure tallied 10,052 journeys, rising 32 percent from a year ago, Meng Wei, spokesman for China's National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference today.

In August, the number climbed 9 percent to 1,323 from a year earlier, exceeding 1,300 for the fourth straight month. Some 128,000 twenty-foot equivalent units were transported, increasing by 16 percent from a year ago. Some 98.4 percent of the containers were full.

Trains have remained relatively stable amid disruptions in air and maritime transport during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the number of China-Europe Railway Express trips jumped by 50 percent to 12,406 from 2019. The figure is more than seven times higher than in 2016.

In the context of prolonged international supply chain tensions, the stable train route between China and Europe has helped many companies to import and export goods in a timely manner, said Meng.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the China-Europe Railway Express has been dispatching more than 1,000 trains each month for 16 straight months, which demonstrates supply chain resilience, said Meng.

During the first eight months of this year, the trains carried 967,000 TEUs of cargo, rising by 40 percent from a year ago. The utilization rate was 97.9 percent.

Launched in 2011, the China-Europe Railway Express reaches more than 170 cities in 23 European countries. Nations along the route are actively participating in sharing the economic benefits of the route, said Meng.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi