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Germany · China–Europe rail

Rail and road freight from China to Germany

China to Germany

Istanbul · Duisburg · Łódź · Małaszewicze · Brest · Minsk

Corridor map: China to GermanyMap of land corridors between China and Germany, drawn on one real projection with places at their latitude and longitude: Istanbul · Duisburg · Łódź · Małaszewicze · Brest · Minsk. Germany is outlined and shaded. Lines join the listed places and are not surveyed tracks or schedules. GERMANYPOLANDBELARUSUKRAINETURKEYAUSTRIACZECHIAROMANIABULGARIARUSSIA 40°N50°N0°E10°E20°E30°E40°E IstanbulDuisburgŁódźMałaszewiczeBrestMinsk 500 km Lines join the listed places; they are not surveyed tracks. Border crossingOrigin / destination
Corridor map: China to GermanyMap of land corridors between China and Germany, drawn on one real projection with places at their latitude and longitude: Istanbul · Duisburg · Łódź · Małaszewicze · Brest · Minsk. Germany is outlined and shaded. Lines join the listed places and are not surveyed tracks or schedules. GERMANYPOLANDBELARUSUKRAINEAUSTRIACZECHIAROMANIABULGARIA 40°N50°N60°N10°E20°E30°E IstanbulDuisburg 500 km
  1. Istanbul
  2. Duisburg
  3. Łódź
  4. Małaszewicze
  5. Brest
  6. Minsk

Germany is the end of the longest rail route this section covers, and the place where the cargo meets a battery registration rule. Most China–Europe trains reach it through Belarus and Poland, a route we quote case by case after compliance screening; the alternative is a Middle Corridor leg that stops short of the German border.

Ask about Germany All rail & road corridors

At a glance

Germany: three facts that shape the lane

Inland port

Duisburg is linked to Chinese inland ports

Duisport signed a memorandum of understanding with the Xi'an International Inland Port Group and then sent its first freight train to Chengdu in July 2025.1

Market access

Registration comes before sale

Stiftung ear states that batteries may be placed on the German market only once the registration order has been received, and that a producer without a German subsidiary needs an authorised representative in Germany.2

Dangerous goods

EU rules apply to national as well as international transport

Directive 2008/68/EC applies ADR, RID and ADN rules to both international and national dangerous-goods transport in the EU.3

The corridor

Two ways in, and what each one needs

Poland closed its border with Belarus on 12 September 2025, a closure POLITICO described as hitting the route that moves about 90% of rail freight between China and the EU.4 Yicai Global reported more than 130 Chinese freight trains stranded at Brest after Poland reopened the border.5 Separately, EU sanctions on Russia carry a circumvention ban in Article 12 of Regulation 833/2014.6,7

For those reasons a northern-route quote to Germany starts with written confirmation from the shipper's counsel and the carrier, and with a holding plan for the Polish border. The Middle Corridor can reach the Istanbul area, and the onward leg to Germany is quoted separately, case by case, subject to operator and country acceptance. For sea freight to Hamburg and Bremerhaven, see the sea routes.

A lithium-ion battery pack wrapped in blue shrink film inside a black housing

Places on this page's map

  • Duisburg. The inland port on the Rhine and the destination of the route page.
  • Łódź and Małaszewicze. Polish places on the northern route.
  • Brest and Terespol. The Belarus–Poland border pair on the northern route.
  • Istanbul. The end of the Middle Corridor leg described in this section.

Route pages

Lanes to Germany from inland Chinese cities

Rail route

Xi'an → Duisburg

Xi'an to Duisburg: what the northern route through Belarus and Poland needs, what the Middle Corridor can offer, the Poland–Belarus border closure of 2025, EU sanctions on Russia and German battery registration.

Read the Xi'an to Duisburg route

Questions

Germany: questions we are asked

Yes. Batteries may be placed on the German market only after the registration order has been received.2

Case by case. Border closures and EU sanctions law mean we ask for written confirmation from counsel and the carrier first; the Belarus and Russia pages set out what we check.

By sea instead

Compare with sea freight from China

Choosing a mode

Each mode accepts lithium batteries on its own terms

Rail, road and sea operators apply different acceptance rules, and a shipment that is refused on one mode can sometimes be planned on another. We screen the cargo first and name the mode afterwards.

References

Where these points come from

  1. Duisport launches first eastbound train to Chengdu (RailFreight.com, 8 July 2025)
  2. Applying for a battery registration at stiftung ear (stiftung elektro-altgeräte register)
  3. Inland transport of dangerous goods (summary of Directive 2008/68/EC) (EUR-Lex)
  4. Poland's border closure risks choking EU-China trade (POLITICO, 17 September 2025)
  5. China-Europe Freight Trains Still Stuck in Bottleneck After Poland Reopens Border With Belarus (Yicai Global, 30 September 2025)
  6. Frequently asked questions on the transit of listed goods via Russia (European Commission, Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union)
  7. Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, consolidated text of 17 July 2026 (EUR-Lex)

Next step

Ask about China → Germany

Ask about China → Germany

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check operator and country acceptance for China → Germany before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All rail & road corridors · Sea routes from China

Need China → Germany reviewed?

Share the cargo facts; we review the lane in writing.

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