On May 31, X8020 Madrid-Yiwu Train loaded with 100 standard boxes of epidemic prevention materials, living materials and general merchandise departed from Yiwu west railway station to the capital of Spanish--Madrid, 13,000 kilometers away. This is the 200th Madrid-Yiwu Train  that runs this year. By the end of the day, 16,672 standard boxes have been shipped by the trains, up 72% year on year.

Small and medium-sized enterprises experienced a lot on struggling with the global epidemic. Recently, European orders received by Yiwu Kaijiang Electronic Commerce Co. Ltd. on the AliExpress platform began to pick up. "Many international flights have been suspended, posting various problems, such as limited air space, uncertain shipping time, and soared price which leaped from the original 39 yuan per kilogram to 70 yuan per kilogram." Cong Wang, general manager of the company said, "There is an urgent demand for export of goods. The Madrid-Yiwu Train has a stable departure, which guarantees not only the punctuality, but also a 50% lower price  than that of air transportation. Thus we are determined to change the mode of transportation." Statistics show that in April of this year alone, the number of Yiwu's cross-border export package reached 1.473 million, up 867.2% year on year, among which, 68.6% were transported through the Madrid-Yiwu Train. 

With a continuous expansion of the operation, the traffic volume greatly increased. Feng Xubin, chairman of Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. and the operator of Madrid-Yiwu Train, claimed that the number of operation lines of Madrid-Yiwu Train has increased to 12 since its debut usage, with a total number of 1,352 lines, and 4 branches and 5 logistics distribution centers set up overseas. The line connects 37 countries and regions in Asia and Europe, topping among China-Europe trains in number of countries covered, the length of running and carrying capability.

Under the background of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Madrid-Yiwu Train has assumed a new mission. The person in charge at the scene of Yixin Europe Trade Service Group Co. Ltd. introduced at Yiwu railway west station that Madrid-Yiwu Train was the first China-Europe Train to resume work. During the epidemic, the Madrid-Yiwu Train did its best to ensure that European countries obtain medical supplies and necessities timely.

According to reports, this year the Madrid-Yiwu Train will keep a close eye on the target of running 1,000 trains per year. Chen Dengke, deputy director of the Jinhua Freight Center of China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co. Ltd. told reporters, "Madrid-Yiwu Train plan to run more than 20 trains a week on a regular basis from June, which will set a new record since its launch."

(Compiled by Xu Yuhong)