DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its China-Europe rail service with a twice-weekly 17-day run between Zhengzhou and Hamburg via Poland, which cuts transit times by 10 and 21 days compared to ocean freight, the company said.

"Our multimodal network covers a wide geographical area between Asia and Europe, offering complete supply chain visibility," said DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific chief Kelvin Leung.

The new 17-day service will offer customers DHL's Railconnect less-than-container load (LCL) service, as well as a full-container option, DHL Railline.

The route crosses central, eastern and western China through three cities - Zhengzhou, Suzhou and Chengdu - with provincial GDPs that account for 20 per cent of national output, said DHL.

Zhengzhou, a hub for finance, commerce and resource distribution in central China, is fast becoming one of the largest economic centres in China with its increasing international and domestic investment.

Suzhou, a magnet for foreign investment due to its proximity to Shanghai, has always enjoyed a strong economy based on manufacturing and lower operating costs.

Chengdu is the country's western centre of logistics, commerce, finance, science and technology, as well as a hub for transport and communication.