Shifting trade lanes and volatile rates have made one thing clear: companies shipping from China to Europe need more than a default routing plan. Agility isn’t optional anymore and becomes a competitive necessity that separates those who stay on schedule from those who fall behind.
Disruptions across ocean, air, and rail are pushing shippers to rethink how they move freight. This article breaks down the key options available now and what matters most when choosing the right path forward.
Air, Ocean, or Rail: How They Compare
Choosing the best method for shipping from China to Europe depends on your lead time, cargo type, budget, and risk tolerance. For example, air freight can typically achieve 4–7 days door-to-door, depending on origin and customs clearance. Below is a practical comparison of the main transport modes.
| Mode | Transit Time | Cost | Best For |
| Air Freight | 4–7 days door-to-door | Highest | Urgent shipments, high-value or lightweight goods |
| Rail Freight | 14–30 days | Mid-range | Balanced speed and cost, stable lead times |
| Ocean Freight | 30–45+ days | Lowest | Cost-sensitive cargo with flexible deadlines |
Why More Companies Are Choosing Rail Freight
Rail continues to gain traction as a preferred option for China to Europe shipments. It offers a practical balance between speed and cost for cargo that cannot wait for ocean transit but does not justify air freight pricing.
According to China State Railway Group, 18,000 China–Europe freight trains operated in 2025, representing a 7.4% increase compared with the previous year. Total cargo volume reached 32.1 million tons, with 12.1% growth recorded through the Alashankou and Horgos border crossings in Xinjiang.
Departure hubs such as Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Zhengzhou connect with major European gateways including Duisburg, Hamburg, Warsaw, Milan, and Malaszewicze. Among these, Germany, particularly Duisburg, remains the primary rail gateway for China–Europe freight in terms of volume and service frequency.
Typical transit times include:
- Xi’an to Duisburg: 23 days
- Xi’an to Malaszewicze: 14 days
- Yiwu to Malaszewicze: 18 days
- Chongqing to Milan: 30 days
While there is rail service connecting Chengdu to the Netherlands, the route primarily operates as FCL service with limited departures, typically one to two trains per month. It is not considered a core high-volume corridor compared with the Germany-bound lanes.
Currently, higher-frequency LCL rail services are concentrated on routes from Xi’an to Duisburg, Hamburg, Warsaw, and Budapest. These services operate with more consistent departures and generally offer faster overall transit times.
Fixed departures and predictable transit schedules make rail an increasingly dependable option for manufacturers and distributors when aligned with the right corridor.
Transshipment and Multimodal Planning
Transshipment means moving cargo through one or more intermediate points before reaching the final destination. It often involves switching transport modes, such as trucking to a rail hub, then moving by train or ocean vessel, and finally delivering by road.
In cases where direct lanes are disrupted, Dimerco also supports cross-border trucking from China to Europe using TIR-compliant international road transport. TIR refers to Transports Internationaux Routiers, an internationally recognized customs transit system that allows goods to move across multiple borders with reduced inspections and streamlined procedures.
When direct routes are congested or unavailable, transshipment gives shippers flexibility to keep cargo moving. This includes alternate overland trade lanes that bypass restricted routes, such as those impacted by sanctions, conflict zones, or infrastructure disruptions.
A typical routing might involve trucking from inland China to Xi’an, shipping by rail to Duisburg, and distributing by bonded truck across Europe.
This approach also helps manage cost. By combining fast and slower legs where appropriate, businesses can reduce air freight usage while maintaining service levels. Transshipment is especially useful during seasonal congestion, port delays, or when regulatory changes affect cross border flows.
Cross-border trucking is particularly useful when traditional lanes are constrained by geopolitical risk, infrastructure limitations, or special compliance requirements.
In certain cases, a truck-air combination may be the most effective solution. Cargo can move by road or rail to a regional hub, such as Central Asia or Turkey, and then connect to Europe by air. This approach helps reduce transit time while avoiding congested or politically sensitive routes.
For example, Dimerco executed a door-to-door shipment using the “Southern Corridor” in just 31 days, bypassing restricted regions and minimizing transloading.
The Netherlands as a Strategic Gateway
Once freight reaches Europe, the first entry point plays a major role in transit time and distribution efficiency. The Netherlands plays an important role as a distribution and consolidation hub within Europe, particularly for ocean freight and regional distribution.
Rail arrivals into the Dutch city of Tilburg and ocean arrivals through the port of Rotterdam provide direct access to high-capacity customs clearance, bonded warehousing, and regional trucking networks. From these hubs, cargo can be distributed efficiently throughout Western and Central Europe, as well as to the United Kingdom and Nordic markets.
While the Netherlands is not currently a primary rail gateway in terms of China–Europe rail volume, it remains strategically positioned for downstream distribution once freight enters the EU.
In addition to physical access, the Netherlands offers favorable conditions for fiscal representation and VAT management, key factors in improving cash flow and compliance for cross-border distribution.
China to Europe Shipping Conditions You Need to Watch
Several market factors continue to shape routing decisions for China to Europe movements.
- Ocean freight remains volatile. Red Sea disruptions continue to push vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, extending transit times and creating ongoing rate uncertainty.
- Air freight capacity remains tight. High technology and e-commerce volumes are absorbing available space, and fuel surcharges remain elevated out of major Chinese gateways.
- Rail freight faces pressure at key border crossings. As of February 2026, delays at the China-Kazakhstan border (Dostyk) and extreme winter weather in parts of Europe have increased transshipment times, with some trains held for over a week. While capacity remains sufficient, these disruptions are reducing throughput and affecting service reliability.
- Transit times through the Baku corridor may also be affected by seasonal weather conditions, which can influence rail reliability on certain southern routing options.
- Ocean carrier alliance changes are affecting capacity allocation and service structures on Asia to Europe lanes.
For many shippers, securing space early and maintaining alternative routing options is now part of standard operating practice.
Which China to Europe Option Fits Your Business?
Every shipment presents a different set of priorities. Some shipments require speed above all else. Others demand predictable costs or greater resilience against disruption.
Dimerco provides integrated shipping from China to Europe using air, ocean, rail, and transshipment solutions. Our teams operate across all major China gateways and throughout Europe, supporting routing design, customs compliance, and delivery coordination.
Get in touch with a Dimerco specialist to build the most effective shipping from China to Europe strategy for your business. We help you align cost, transit time, and reliability with your commercial goals.
