Frankfurt, December 8 (Xinhua) — Interview with Lars Nenhaus, Chief Operating Officer of Duisburg Port Group in Germany, on “China Europe freight trains will surely achieve greater success in the future”
Lars Nenhaus, a member of the board of directors and chief operating officer of Duisburg Port Group in Germany, recently stated in a written interview with Xinhua News Agency that he has witnessed the remarkable achievements of the China Europe freight train in the past decade and is confident in the development prospects of the China Europe freight train.
The Second China Europe Railway Express International Cooperation Forum was held in Xi’an, Shaanxi on November 18th. Nenghaus was invited to attend the opening ceremony and signed a new agreement with Chinese partners at the forum. This is the first time that representatives from Duisburg Port Group have participated in the China Europe freight train international cooperation forum.
Seeing pictures showcasing the development history of the China Europe freight train on the forum, I immediately recalled many past events, as many milestone events occurred at the Port of Duisburg. I was fortunate to witness and participate in many important moments, “said Neuhaus. Since the opening of the China Europe freight train, the Port of Duisburg has developed from a European logistics hub to an important gateway for intercontinental cargo transportation. Nowadays, Duisburg Port is recognized as one of the most reliable and resilient “European gateways” connecting freight trains between China and Europe.
With its advantageous geographical location, Duisburg Port is gradually developing into a leading international multimodal transport hub in Europe. Duisburg Port Group operates and manages this’ key hub ‘, covering full chain services such as freight, warehousing, railway stations, and logistics parks, and has become an important participant in the China Europe freight trains. On March 19, 2011, the first China Europe freight train departed from Chongqing to Duisburg; On December 3, 2024, the 10000th train of the China Europe freight train arrived at the European terminus of Duisburg, opening another chapter for the China Europe freight train.
According to Neuhaus, about 30% of the railway trade between Europe and China is completed through the port of Duisburg. Since the beginning of this year, Duisburg Port Group has continued to increase its investment in the China Europe freight train business. In June, the first “ASEAN Express” return train departing from Duisburg via Chongqing to ASEAN held its opening ceremony at Duisburg Port; In July, the first China Europe freight train, the “Chengdu Europe Express”, departed from Duisburg Port to Chengdu… During the conference in China, Neuhaus also met with partners from China Railway Group and Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi’an, Yiwu and other places to further strengthen cooperation and promote win-win outcomes. Neuhaus said that Duisburg Port Group will continue to strive to expand its service network and ensure that all partners can find a solid foundation for business growth here.
“The current international environment once again highlights the importance of a stable and reliable supply chain to meet customer needs and establish mutual trust relations.” Nenhaus said that in order to ensure the stability of the supply chain and meet customer needs, Duisburg Port Group is actively participating in the construction of the “middle corridor” of China EU trains, and the new freight station near Istanbul, Türkiye has been fully put into operation.
Neuhaus stated that as the first European enterprise to participate in the investment and construction of the China Singapore (Chongqing) Interconnection Multimodal Transport Demonstration Base, Duisburg Port Group continues to expand its presence in China and is optimistic about the development prospects of the China Europe freight train. The China Europe Express is a vivid practice of high-quality joint construction of the “the Belt and Road”. “With the joint efforts of all parties, the China Europe Express will surely achieve greater success in the future”.