The historic Silk Road connected China with Europe for centuries — goods such as silk, porcelain and spices found their way from East to West. Today, this route is making a spectacular comeback: With the “New Silk Road” (Belt and Road Initiative, BRI) infrastructure project, China has been driving forward one of the world's most ambitious trade and transport corridors for several years. In addition to sea routes and roads, rail freight transport also plays a key role.

But what does this new rail connection mean for Europe and the logistics sector? And where are the opportunities — and where are the risks?

Rail travel: faster than sea, cheaper than air

A typical container train from Chongqing to Duisburg takes around 12 to 16 days. For comparison:

• Sea freight from China to Europe: 30-40 days
• Air freight: 2-3 days, but many times more expensive

Rail therefore closes the gap between price and speed. Rail is an attractive alternative for industries such as automotive, electronics or fashion, which need fast delivery times but do not want to bear the enormous air freight costs.

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Political dimension: More than just a transport route

Silk Road 2.0 is not only a major logistical project, but also a major political project. China is thus securing influence on international trade routes and building economic dependencies.
Europe, in turn, benefits from new capacities, but is also faced with the question: How dependent do we want to make ourselves on Chinese infrastructure?

There are also geopolitical uncertainties: The war in Ukraine is forcing many routes to divert via Kazakhstan or Russia. This makes planning more complex for companies.

Opportunities for companies in Europe

• Diversification of transport routes: If you don't want to rely solely on sea or air freight, rail is an additional option.
• More stable supply chains: Especially in times of port congestion or capacity bottlenecks, railways can fill gaps.
• sustainability: Rail transport has a significantly lower CO₂ footprint compared to air freight.

Risks and challenges

• Geopolitical tensions: Sanctions, tariffs, or conflicts can block routes from one day to the next.
• Cost development: While rail transport is often cheaper than air freight, prices fluctuate significantly and cannot always be planned.
• Dependence on transit countries: Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are central corridors — which makes transport vulnerable to political decisions.

Silk Road 2.0 is both an opportunity and a risk. For many companies, it is worthwhile to look at rail as a supplement to sea and air freight. The decisive factor will be whether Europe takes its own strategic decisions — on the one hand to benefit from the advantages, but on the other hand not to become dependent on new dependencies.