Assessment and Future Directions of Logistics Competitiveness for China-Europe Freight Trains (CRE): A Focus on Entropy Weight-TOPSIS Method

The China-Europe Freight Train (CRE) has gained significant attention as a crucial transportation mode strengthening logistics connections between China and Europe, facilitating international trade. This study focuses on the logistics competitiveness of CRE by comprehensively analyzing the logistics competitiveness of departure cities and the transportation competitiveness of regular routes. The logistics competitiveness of each departure city was evaluated using the entropy weight-TOPSIS method, revealing the significant influence of key hub nodes and transportation costs. The analysis results indicate that Yiwu and Zhengzhou demonstrated excellent performance in logistics competitiveness, emphasizing the pivotal role of hub nodes in the success of CRE. Furthermore, the variation in transportation costs within CRE negatively impacts overall competitiveness. Based on these findings, recommendations for the future development of CRE are presented, aiming to strengthen international trade and logistics cooperation between China and Europe. This study provides a profound understanding of CRE’s logistics network, laying the groundwork for enhancing logistics cooperation between China and Europe.