Freight traffic between Russia and China rose 3% to 62.7 million tonnes in early 2026, with significant increases in container and import volumes.
Freight traffic between Russia and China on the Russian Railways network increased three per cent year-on-year in January-April 2026 to 62.7 million tonnes, reported Moscow's Interfax.
Container traffic rose 5.9 per cent to 1.2 million TEU in the same period. Shipments to China reached 54.8 million tonnes, up two per cent, including 33.7 million tonnes of coal, 4.7 million tonnes of iron ore, 4.6 million tonnes of oil cargo, and 2.5 million tonnes of fertilisers.
Imports from China totalled 7.8 million tonnes, up 10.8 per cent. These included 1.6 million tonnes of chemicals, 1.2 million tonnes of consumer goods, 0.8 million tonnes of non-ferrous ore, and 0.6 million tonnes of cars and components.
Cargo transported via ports in links with China amounted to 43.9 million tonnes, up six per cent, while border crossings handled 18.8 million tonnes, down 3.2 per cent. Zabaikalsk led among land crossings, with 7.8 million tonnes passing in both directions, up 4.3 per cent.
Container traffic through Zabaikalsk increased 32 per cent to 197,400 TEU. Russian Railways Deputy Head Irina Magnushevskaya stated in April that the company plans to raise freight traffic with China by 1.7 per cent in 2026 to 190 million tonnes.
