Jinan, the capital of Shandong province, has seen robust growth in China-Europe freight train services in recent years.

According to statistics from Jinan Customs, in the first eight months of the year, 756 trips were made in the city by China-Europe freight trains, an increase of 17.6 percent year-on-year.

The increase is driving the rapid development of the city's foreign trade. During the period, the city's foreign trade volume totaled 141.39 billion yuan ($19.9 billion), with its exports growing by 7.4 percent year-on-year.

Since the launch of its first China-Europe freight train in 2017, Jinan has witnessed significant growth in the service. In 2022, the city saw 2,000 trips made by China-Europe freight trains, and in 2023 Jinan became the first city in Shandong to operate over 1,000 China-Europe freight trains in a single year.

The freight volume of China-Europe freight trains passing through Jinan grew from 3,800 tons in 2017 to 975,300 tons in 2023, while the value of imports and exports increased from $23 million to $1.18 billion over the same period.

To date, 15 China-Europe freight train routes pass through Jinan, linking 49 cities in 22 countries and strongly boosting the development of the city's export-oriented economy. The city has operated a total 4,000 trips made by China-Europe freight trains.

Jinan will strengthen coordination with Qingdao, leverage the advantages of land-sea integration, and strive to become a national hub for China-Europe freight train services, linking regions of Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, according to Jinan's port and logistics office.

By 2026, Jinan is expected to operate 15 China-Europe freight train routes with an annual operating volume of over 1,000 trips.