In October 2021, New Silkroad Discovery partnered with Freightmenu, an independent digital railway platform for the Eurasia railway transport industry, to create the New Silkroad Railway Index (NSR Index). NSR Index is based on aggregated and anonymized real-time price and transport data from government organizations, global rail operators, forwarders, and shippers. Freightmenu’ database enables a high level of accuracy in calculating market rate and transport time and includes the total transported volume and freight rate’s historical charts. NSR Index coverage includes core routes from China to Europe and from Europe to China.

Businesses need the visibility (right information – in near-real-time). Eurasia railway transport has been slow to digitize in general. A reliable, data-driven, and actionable index will be needed to optimize choices as costs change, to be able to mitigate risk associated with price and transit time volatility, to be sure of the development trend of China-Europe freight train and prepare better.

According to the October 2021 NSR Index, the rail transit time is about 30 days, which has doubled on average compared to 2016, when transit time was at its best. Transit time and volume are positively correlated, and as volume increases, train transit time also becomes longer. East bound (Europe-China freight train) rates have declined for 3 consecutive years, with East bound (EB) rates now generally below $1,000 (40’HC), however, West bound (WB) rates have increased for 3 consecutive years, with prices in October 2021 more than 3 times higher than in 2019, at approximately between $12,500 and $14,500 (40’HC).

You may find further informations on: www.freightmenu.com/#/data