On October 22, representatives from the First Silk Road Global News Awards winners visited Chengdu’s Qingbaijiang district and the bustling Chengdu International Railway Port. They explored the route map of the CRE train (Chengdu-Chongqing) to locate their respective countries.
On April 26, 2013, the inaugural “Chengdu-Europe Express” (now known as the “CRE train”) departed from Qingbaijiang, heading towards Lodz, Poland, more than 9,000 kilometers away. Since then, the old industrial area of Qingbaijiang has embarked on a new phase of urban transformation, becoming increasingly connected to the world. “In the past, it took over 20 days to reach Poland. Now it only takes about a dozen days,” said train driver Zhong Junlan.
Currently, the CRE train (Chengdu-Chongqing) connects more than 130 cities both domestically and internationally. From January to June of this year, the CRE train (Chengdu-Chongqing) operated 2,732 trains, representing a year-on-year increase of 29.6%.
“The continuous increase in operation, a more diverse range of transported products, and the ongoing optimization of routes... The robust development of the “Belt and Road” Initiative (BRI) over the past 10 years is evident from the data of the CRE train,” explained Lei Ting, Director of the Chengdu International Railway Port Economic Development Zone.
Standing in front of the CRE train route map, Branko Zujovic, a journalist from Serbia’s Pecat Weekly, remarked, “Because of the CRE train, many Chinese products can be transported here, and our country’s products can also be shipped out.”
Mubarak Mugabo, a multimedia producer from Uganda’s New Vision Media Group, stated, “I see the whole world connected. This is not only a physical connection but also a connection of hearts among people.”
As an inland open highland, Qingbaijiang has become a hub connecting Chengdu to the world. Over the past decade, it has gradually built a new network of international rail routes and a land-sea freight distribution system.
The last ten years have been a period of steady growth for the CRE train and a crucial decade for the urban development of Qingbaijiang. From planning the urban spatial layout of “one port leading, dual cores co-prospering, and four regions coordinating,” to the concrete path of “four districts and one hub,” the development trajectory of Qingbaijiang has become increasingly clear.
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