由 lltx1822 China-Europe Railway “Western Corridor” Horgos Port Exceeds 10,000 Trains: A Key to Landlocked Countries’ Opening-Up
In August 2025, the number of China-Europe Railway trains passing through Xinjiang’s Horgos Port exceeded 10,000, reaching this milestone 2 months earlier than in 2024. As a core exit port on the China-Europe Railway “Western Corridor,” Horgos’ busyness not only reflects the resilience of China-Europe trade but also highlights the depth and breadth with which northwest China’s inland regions integrate into global markets through land ports.
I. Horgos: From Border Town to International Hub
Horgos, located in Xinjiang’s Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, faces Kazakhstan across the river, serving as an important post on the ancient Silk Road’s northern route. In 2011, Horgos established an economic development zone; in 2018, the first China-Europe Railway train exited through Horgos Port, marking its transformation from a “border town” to an “international logistics hub.”
Today’s Horgos Port has formed a “rail + road” dual-port structure:
- Railway port: 4 broad-gauge (1,520 mm) and 4 standard-gauge (1,435 mm) container lines, equipped with automated transshipment equipment enabling “one-stop” gauge conversion (no need to unload containers), reducing single-train transshipment time from 4 hours to 1.5 hours.
- Highway port: 6 entry-exit channels, adopting “license plate recognition + electronic declaration” systems, reducing truck customs clearance time from 2 hours to 30 minutes.
From January to August 2025, Horgos Port’s import-export freight volume reached 32 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 28%; among this, China-Europe Railway transported 1.05 million TEUs, accounting for 28% of national China-Europe Railway volume, mainly consisting of machinery, electronic products, textiles, and agricultural goods.
Wu Hong, Director of Horgos Economic Development Zone Administration, said: “Ten years ago, the railway station here handled at most 1 train daily; now, we process 35 China-Europe Railway trains daily, reaching 42 during peak periods. The port’s transformation epitomizes northwest China’s opening-up.”
II. Efficiency Code: “Digital Port” and “Coordinated Customs Clearance”
Horgos Port’s ability to handle 10,000 China-Europe Railway trains lies in its “digital port” system and “coordinated customs clearance” mechanism, achieving efficiency leaps.
The “digital port” system integrates data from 12 departments including customs, railways, and freight forwarders, forming an electronic customs clearance process with “one document to the end.” Enterprises can declare in advance through the system when shipping goods from Xi’an, Chongqing, and other cities, with data synchronized in real-time to Horgos Customs and Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Customs. Upon arrival, the system automatically matches cargo information with declared data, releasing automatically without manual intervention if 无误. This system reduced train 停留时间 at the port from 8 hours in 2018 to 1.5 hours in 2025, improving customs clearance efficiency by 80%.
The “coordinated customs clearance” mechanism addresses regulatory differences between China and Kazakhstan. Horgos and Zhambyl Customs have established a cooperation model of “information exchange, regulatory mutual recognition, and law enforcement mutual assistance”:
- Implementing “random inspection release” for goods from high-credit enterprises, reducing inspection rates from 20% to 5%;
- Establishing “green channels” for time-sensitive goods such as fresh produce and pharmaceuticals;
- Jointly conducting “risk-based control” to combat smuggling and contraband transportation.
In June 2025, a China-Europe Railway train carrying Xinjiang cherries exited Horgos, completing customs clearance in both China and Kazakhstan in just 1 hour via the “green channel,” ultimately reaching Moscow, Russia, in 3 days—4 days faster than traditional transport, with cherry loss rates dropping from 15% to 5%.
III. Radiation Effects on Regional Economy
Horgos Port’s busyness is driving industrial upgrading and economic development in Xinjiang and northwest China through “corridor economy.”
Locally in Xinjiang, China-Europe Railway has boosted the prosperity of “port economy.” A 50-square-kilometer industrial park has formed around Horgos Port, gathering over 200 logistics enterprises and 50 processing companies engaged in cargo distribution, bonded processing, and cross-border e-commerce. The 4th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps built a tomato paste factory in the park, exporting 50,000 tons of processed local tomatoes to Poland via China-Europe Railway annually, supporting 1,000 local farming households.
For northwest provinces, Horgos is the “western gateway” to Europe. Shaanxi apples, Gansu photovoltaic modules, and Ningxia wine exit through Horgos via China-Europe Railway, saving 15-20 days compared to sea freight via eastern ports. In the first half of 2025, northwest China’s five provinces (regions) exported $8.5 billion worth of goods through Horgos Port, a year-on-year increase of 35%, with Ningxia wine exports up 120%.
From an international industrial chain perspective, Horgos has promoted industrial collaboration between China, Central Asia, and Europe. Kazakh wheat is transported to Horgos via return trains, then distributed to flour mills in Xinjiang and Gansu; German auto parts reach Xi’an via trains for local new energy vehicle assembly. This “two-way flow” reduced China-Europe Railway’s empty container rate from 45% in 2018 to 18% in 2025.
IV. Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs: From “Corridor” to “Industrial Cluster”
Despite achievements, Horgos needs to overcome bottlenecks to upgrade from “logistics corridor” to “industrial cluster”:
Insufficient local industrial support is a core issue. Currently, only 15% of goods exported through Horgos originate locally in Xinjiang, with 85% transshipped from central and eastern regions, limiting local economic drive. Xinjiang plans to build a “China-Europe Railway Supporting Industrial Park” in Horgos, attracting electronics assembly and food processing enterprises, aiming to increase local supply to 30% by 2027.
Lagging cross-border financial services hinder trade facilitation. Enterprises face high exchange rate volatility and financing costs when settling cross-border payments in Horgos. Xinjiang has collaborated with Kazakh commercial banks to launch “direct RMB-KZT settlement,” handling 5 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, reducing exchange costs. It is also piloting “railway waybill financing,” allowing enterprises to apply for loans using China-Europe Railway waybills to address working capital pressures.
Talent shortages affect service upgrading. Horgos urgently needs multilingual professionals familiar with international trade rules but struggles to attract talent due to remote location. The local government has launched a “port talent program” offering housing subsidies and education benefits, attracting 200 logistics and language talents in 2025.
Future plans for Horgos include expanding “train + cross-border e-commerce” models, building bonded warehouses for cross-border e-commerce to enable “European goods transported to Horgos via trains, then distributed nationwide via domestic couriers”; and launching “tourist trains” to attract Chinese tourists to Central Asia via Horgos, boosting border tourism.
From the first China-Europe Railway train to exceeding 10,000 annual trains, Horgos Port’s decade-long leap reflects northwest China’s inland opening-up practice. This steel artery connecting Asia and Europe, with higher efficiency and broader scope, injects sustained momentum into the Belt and Road Initiative, turning landlocked countries’ opening-up dreams into reality.