Rail is the middle path that usually wins

Roughly two-thirds faster than ocean, about one-fifth the cost of air, and unaffected by port congestion or air traffic control. Services run year-round in both directions.

Side by side

Four modes on the same lane

Indicative figures for China to central Europe. Your lane and commodity will shift the numbers, which is what the quote is for.

Mode	Transit	Cost	Reliability	CO2
Rail	12-22 days	Medium	High	Low
Ocean	35-45 days	Low	Port-dependent	Medium
Air	3-7 days	High	ATC-dependent	High
Road	18-25 days	Medium-high	Border-dependent	Medium-high

When rail wins

Restocking cycles of three to five weeks, cargo too valuable to sit on water and too bulky to fly. Also anything exposed to peak-season port delays.

When ocean still wins

Heavy, low-value cargo with no deadline, and shipments where the deepest possible saving matters more than six weeks of inventory.

When air is worth it

Launch stock, spare parts and anything where a missed date costs more than the freight. We quote all three, so the comparison is honest.

Green logistics

Rail moves your cargo with far less carbon

Rail is the lowest-carbon way to move freight across Eurasia. If your customers ask about emissions in tenders, or you report Scope 3 figures, we can give you the numbers for each shipment.

Rail produces roughly one-fifteenth of the CO2 of air freight per tonne-kilometre, and materially less than road.
One through wagon from origin to destination avoids repeated handling and reloading, which cuts emissions and damage risk together.
The trunk lines are largely electrified, so emissions fall further as the grid decarbonises.
Rail avoids port and airway congestion, removing the extra emissions caused by waiting and rerouting.

Emissions data you can actually use

Distance, routing and an estimated CO2 figure for every shipment, on one consistent method, so the numbers hold up when a customer or auditor checks them.

Distance and routing for every shipment
Estimated CO2 per container or per tonne
Rail, air and road compared on the same lane
One method, suitable for customer and audit reporting