Reliable Rail Freight Across Europe & International Trade Routes

A Faster Alternative to Sea Freight
For businesses moving goods between China and Europe, rail freight can provide an attractive middle ground between the speed of air freight and the economics of ocean shipping.
Intercargo can arrange rail freight movements from China into Europe through established international rail corridors, with onward transport available to the final destination. Depending on the route, service and operational conditions, rail freight can provide significantly faster transit times than conventional sea freight.
Intercargo offers China rail freight solutions with transit times from approximately 17 days on applicable services, subject to route, border procedures, terminal schedules and availability.

China–Europe rail freight can be ideal for:

• High-tech and electronics
• Automotive components
• Consumer goods
• Fashion and retail
• Manufacturing materials
• E-commerce inventory
• Time-sensitive goods that don't require air freight
• Businesses looking to diversify away from sea freight

By combining rail with road transport, warehousing and customs clearance, Intercargo can coordinate the complete journey from origin through to final delivery.

Different transport modes solve different logistics challenges.

• Combining Rail, Road, Sea & Air: Some supply chains work best when multiple transport modes are combined.Intercargo can integrate rail freight with our international road, sea and air freight networks to create multimodal solutions based on cost, transit time, capacity and supply chain requirements..
• Combining Rail, Road, Sea & Air: Some supply chains work best when multiple transport modes are combined. Intercargo can integrate rail freight with our international road, sea and air freight networks to create multimodal solutions based on cost, transit time, capacity and supply chain requirements.

Multimodal transport can also help businesses reduce dependence on a single freight mode, providing additional routing options when supply chains face congestion, capacity constraints or disruption.

International supply chains don't always run according to plan.
Port congestion, road capacity, geopolitical disruption and changes in transport availability can all affect established freight routes.
Adding rail to your transport strategy gives your business another option.
Rather than relying exclusively on air, sea or road freight, Intercargo can help businesses evaluate different transport modes and develop multimodal solutions around changing supply chain requirements.
That could mean shifting selected China–Europe shipments from sea to rail, combining European rail with final-mile road transport or using rail as part of a wider international routing strategy.

Different transport modes solve different logistics challenges.

• Choose rail freight when: you need to move larger volumes over long distances and want to balance transit time, cost and environmental performance.
• Choose road freight when: flexibility, direct collection and door-to-door European delivery are the priority.
• Choose sea freight when: cost and capacity are more important than speed, particularly for large international shipments.
• Choose air freight when: speed is the primary requirement and the shipment needs to reach its destination as quickly as possible.

For many international supply chains, the best solution may combine two or more transport modes. Intercargo can assess your shipment and recommend a rail, road, sea, air or multimodal solution based on your requirements.