Intermodal

Xi'an → Duisburg

CNXIA · DEDUI · 11,000 km

Operated by CR Express

Starter rate
USD 4,884–USD 9,000
per 40-ft equivalent

Transit

Scheduled
16 d
Departures
14/wk
Average wait
0.3 d
Door-ready
16.3 d

Door-ready adds half the gap between departures — the average wait if your cargo becomes ready at a random moment. On a 14-a-week service that is 0.3 days, and it is the figure a road-versus-rail comparison usually leaves out.

Legs and handovers

3 legs, split where the load changes gauge and the operator hands over.

  1. 1
    Xi'an International Port → Altynkol
    CR Express · Standard (1435 mm) · 3,667 km · 5.3 d
  2. 2
    Altynkol → Małaszewicze
    KTZ · Broad (1520 mm) · 3,667 km · 5.3 d
  3. 3
    Małaszewicze → Duisburg Intermodal Terminal
    PKP Cargo · Standard (1435 mm) · 3,667 km · 5.3 d

Distance and time are divided evenly across the legs: the registry records corridor totals, and an uneven split would be a guess presented as precision.

Track gauge and borders

The spacing between the rails — whether the wheels can run through, or the load has to change trains.

Countries crossed
CN → KZ → RU → BY → PL → DE
Gauge changes
KZALA, PLMAL
Origin gauge
Standard (1435 mm)
Destination gauge
Standard (1435 mm)

Loading gauge clearance

The height and width of tunnels and bridges — whether the load fits through. A different constraint from track gauge above: this corridor can have no gauge break at all and still refuse a high-cube container.

Governing profile UIC GB · 4320 mm

Set by PL, the narrowest network on the route. One restrictive tunnel anywhere caps the whole journey regardless of how generous the rest is. The profile most western European freight is planned against. Comfortable for high-cube containers on standard wagons.

CN · GC KZ · 1-T RU · 1-T BY · 1-T PL · GB DE · GC
40ft standard (8'6") on a container flat
Clears +574 mm
High-cube (9'6") on a container flat
Clears +269 mm
Swap body on a container flat
Clears +495 mm
P400 semi-trailer on a pocket wagon
Clears +50 mm

Profiles are the published maxima for each network's core freight routes. Individual lines differ in both directions, so a load within 50 mm of the limit needs the operator to confirm the specific path. Compare wagon deck heights →

Emissions

−74% 16 vs 62 gCO₂ per tonne-km

GLEC v3 planning estimate — not a regulatory declaration. Model your own payload with the transit calculator.

The flagship New Silk Road service: two gauge changes, roughly half the maritime transit time at a fraction of air cost.