The upward development of Silk Road traffic and volumes transiting via Kazakh, Russian and Belarusian rail infrastructure is also confirmed by numbers. Statistics made available by the Eurasian Rail Alliance Index (ERAI) show that Malaszewicze, the primary European gateway for such traffic, has seen the busiest H1 of the last four years.
Since December 2023, the corridor has been recovering, with volumes lost due to the war in Ukraine and respective sanctions, getting back on track via the traditional Northern route. The recovery has been aided by the adaptability of the industry, particularly the implementation of targeted rail logistics solutions and sanction compliance, as well as disruptions of sea shipping services that made Eurasian railway a feasible alternative for shippers once again.
Data for the first half of 2024 shows that the growth is tangible, especially compared to the same period of the last three years (2021-2023). RailFreight.com focused on some insights concerning the border crossing of Malaszewicze and the hub of Duisburg to make a comparison with previous years. It should be noted that the findings are based on ERAI’s data, which monitors traffic development along the traditional Northern route.
The European gateway
Malaszewicze’s significance regarding Silk Road traffic is broadly known since the border crossing has been Europe’s busiest for several years. With sanctions hitting the Russian route, traffic and volumes declined significantly from 2022 onwards. Nevertheless, it appears that the Polish border point has experienced the busiest H1 of a year since 2021 when it comes to transported TEUs and cargo tons.
Specifically, for H1 2024, Malaszewicze has seen 193,490 TEUs transiting through its infrastructure, 77 per cent higher than in H1 2023 (109,086 TEUs). The difference is not so big regarding H1 2022 (165,772 TEUs), considering that the war’s impact was not yet felt and traffic was still recovering after the pandemic. However, it is higher than H1 2021 (79,432) when Covid’s impact and traffic bottlenecks were still heavily affecting services.
Transported tons via Malaszewicze have also grown considerably. With approximately 1,2 million transported tons, H1 2024 was the busiest in four years, marginally higher compared to 2021 and 2022, but almost doubled compared to 2023.
The key hub
Key European Silk Road hubs, like Duisburg, rely heavily on traffic entering Europe via Malaszewicze. As a result, growth there should naturally translate into growth for those hubs, too. When looking at Duisburg, for instance, growth is visible but considerably more moderate.
In particular, Duisburg has seen 19,646 TEUs and 128,550 transported tons in H1 2024. Performance in both metrics is lower than in 2021 and 2022 (volumes have been steadily declining between 2021 and 2023); however, it shows signs of recovery compared to H1 2023, with a 79 per cent growth in TEUs and a 77 per cent increase in transported tons. The German hub certainly is not where it stood some years ago, yet it shows positive recovery signs.
Transit times excel
Another metric that was taken into account was the transit times of services, which are steadily low at this point. Specifically, the average transit time for services leaving China and heading to Malaszewicze is nine days, slightly higher compared to H1 2022 and 2023 but considerably lower than in H1 2021.
The same applies to Duisburg, which in H1 2024, sees trains originating from China arriving at its premises after eleven days on average, same as H1 2022, but, again, lower than H1 2021, which was characterised by congestion.
All in all, data provided by ERAI shows that, indeed, traffic via the Russian route is on the rise, confirming reports already from April 2024. The discussion about returning to pre-war levels and the implications this might have could now be more relevant than ever.
European Silk Road Summit 2024
The rebounding Silk Road market will be one of the key topics we will discuss at the European Silk Road Summit 2024, taking place in Vienna on 27-28 November.
Registrations for the yearly event are already open, while the programme, which this year highlights the fast-recovering China-Europe rail market, is shaping up.