First Piraeus-Sofia Land-Sea Express Train Completes Run

The first Piraeus-Sofia Land-Sea Express Train, carrying 29 containers of China COSCO SHIPPING Corporation Limited (COSCO Shipping Group), recently arrived at Dragoman Station in Sofia, Bulgaria, after over 40 hours of travel from the Piraeus Container Terminal in Greece.

It was the first train linking the two terminals and took about six days fewer than the traditional transport.

The China-Europe Land-sea Express Line which the train operated on was developed in recent years and is a crucial artery connecting Europe and Asia.

Containers are carried to 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe soon after they arrive at the Piraeus Container Terminal through the railway. It is the third trade passage between the Far East to Central and Eastern Europe and a carrier of convenient and low-cost logistics for Chinese exports to the hinterland of Central and Eastern Europe.

A total of 122,000 TEU containers were transported on the China-Europe Land-sea Express Line by 1,937 trains in 2020, a year-on-year growth of 47 percent.

Operation of the line kept up and running in 2021 against the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown, extreme weather, port congestion and canal accidents. By the end of April, 634 trains were operating on the line, transporting 39,935 TEU containers.

A view of the Piraeus-Sofia Land-Sea Express Train [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)