The network of railways carrying cargo to Europe started running from Chongqing in March 2011, according to China State Railway Group.

The trip milestone was equivalent to 4.55 million TEU, it said, with the value of cargo estimated at US$240 billion.

While tiny in comparison to ocean freight, rail volumes have grown rapidly over the past few years, last year alone accounting for 15,000 trips, a 22 per cent year-on-year increase, reports UK's The Loadstar.

Rail freight is widely credited with providing a vital Asia-Europe overland connection throughout the Covid-crisis, as traditional air and ocean freight routes have experienced unprecedented disruption.

The railways have also experienced their own fair share of delays, however, having been hit with mounting congestion at key border crossings in Poland, Russia and Kazakhstan, resulting in deteriorating transit times - despite record-breaking freight rates.

Nevertheless, freight forwarders appear confident to add new services and have reported improved transit times this year.

Chengdu-based New Silk Road Intermodal (NSRI) noted: "After years of market cultivation, China-Europe trains have realised normal operations, and capacity expansion and reconstruction projects at Khorgos, Alashankou, Erenhot, Manzhouli and other port stations have been successively implemented."

This has helped improve operations, NSRI added, with westbound trains enjoying higher on-time departure rates than in previous weeks.

Furthermore, Davies Turner, which launched a weekly Express China rail freight service to the UK in 2018, noted the railway's operations were "getting back on track" after "a difficult 2021".

Tony Cole, Davies Turner's head of ocean, said: "Over the past month, we have seen improved rail transit times as a result of more timely departures from China. Based on the arrivals into the UK over the past four weeks, the dedicated rail service is achieving an average 29-day transit time from departure in Wuhan to arrival at our UK depots."