Poland’s largest “Rail transport port” – Małaszewicze most important Transfer station Shipping from China

Published August 30, 2019 · Sino-Euro Railway

Updated for 2026 — this classic 2019 article has been expanded into a complete guide to the Małaszewicze rail hub. The essentials first: Małaszewicze, on Poland's eastern border, is where almost every westbound China Railway Express train enters the European Union. Containers arrive on broad-gauge (1,520 mm) tracks and are transhipped to European standard gauge (1,435 mm) at the terminals here. From Chinese hubs such as Xi'an or Chengdu, trains typically reach the crossing in 14–16 days station-to-station; from the hub, cleared cargo is delivered to most EU addresses within about 1–4 days. For current transit times, indicative rates and customs details, see our Małaszewicze rail hub profile.

Where is Małaszewicze?

Małaszewicze is a village in Gmina Terespol, Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland — a few kilometres from the border itself. Three names are often confused: Terespol is the Polish border town with the road and rail crossing; Brest is the larger city directly across the border, where eastbound broad-gauge trains are marshalled; Małaszewicze is the terminal area just inside Poland where the actual container transhipment and EU import processing take place. When a tracking update says "arrived at Małaszewicze", your container is already on EU territory.

Why every train stops here: the break of gauge

China's trunk lines use standard gauge (1,435 mm); Kazakhstan and the network further east use 1,520 mm broad gauge; the European Union uses 1,435 mm. Trains cannot simply roll through — containers are transhipped at the China–Kazakhstan border and again here, lifted by gantry crane from broad-gauge wagons onto standard-gauge wagons (or the reverse eastbound). The Małaszewicze area hosts several transhipment terminals and dry-port facilities that perform this transfer around the clock, typically within hours of a train's arrival.

Capacity and operations

The Brest–Terespol/Małaszewicze corridor handles the great majority of China–Europe rail volumes on the northern route, processing dozens of trains daily in peak periods. The corridor saw well-documented congestion in 2021–2022 when volumes surged; since then, terminal expansions and additional border capacity have improved flow, though pre-holiday peaks can still add a few days. This is why our quoted 14–16 day station-to-station window for Poland builds in realistic border handling time.

From the hub to your door

Because our European distribution hub operates at Małaszewicze, cargo cleared here skips the onward linehaul that other destinations need. LCL shipments are de-consolidated in bonded CFS facilities and forwarded by rail or road feeder: Warsaw and Berlin same or next day, Paris, Milan and Amsterdam typically within 2 days, the Nordics and Iberia within 3–4 days. Door-to-door from a Chinese supplier, plan on roughly 21–26 days in total — the station-to-station transit plus 7–10 days for pick-up, both customs procedures and final delivery.

Customs clearance at the border

EU import clearance can take place directly at the hub through terminal agents: a commercial invoice, packing list and the consignee's EU EORI number are all that is required. LCL cargo is de-consolidated under bond, so consignees receive cleared goods without visiting a customs office.

The original 2019 article (kept for reference)

Małaszewicze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Terespol, within Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern of Poland.

Malaszewicze became the most popular crossing point on the Central European train line.All Containers by train transportt are changing here Shipping to Poland from China .From the train station to the largest railway transshipment port in Poland

In 1867, Małaszewicze become an important railway station due to the development of the Warsaw-Brest track. Małaszewicze later developed into a transportation hub connecting the European railway system. In the 1970s, Małaszewicze became the largest railway transshipment port from China to Poland.

As a important hub point and railway dressing point in Europe, Małaszewicze operates domestic and international cargo transportation and warehousing, diverting goods from China to Lodz,Poland, Nuremberg,Germany and Tilburg, Netherlands. transport from Europe products to China as well.

The opening of the China to Europe train shipping promoted the prosperity of the Małaszewicze station As a practitioner of the “Belt and Road” career frontline, we will witness the development and changes along the “Belt and Road” with the China Railway Express.