A Sustainable Transport Competitiveness Analysis of the China Railway Express in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative

The implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative macro strategy has promoted exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe and countries along the route. The operation of the China Railway Express provides a new transportation platform for China−Europe trade. The sustainable development of the China Railway Express has a great significance in terms of promoting the growth of China−Europe trade and meeting the demand for freight in Asia and Europe. Its time-saving advantage over shipping and its economic advantage over air transport cannot be ignored. This paper is based on the discrete selection model of stochastic utility theory. The paper constructs a multi-logit model based on generalized cost functions, including economics, timeliness, reliability, convenience, safety, and environmental protection. To calculate the market share of the China Railway Express and China−Europe Shipping, the paper conducts a quantitative analysis of the market competitiveness of the China Railway Express. Then, the sensitivity analysis and elastic analysis are carried out on the China Railway Express freight rate, the Chinese road freight rate, the China Railway Express service fee, the China Railway Express travelling speed, the China Railway Express sending operation time at the departure station, the China Railway Express transportation time error, the China Railway Express transportation frequency, and the China Railway Express carbon emissions per unit. Finally, based on the analysis results, suggestions for promoting the sustainable development of the China Railway Express are given