{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T08:05:39Z","timestamp":1784534739149,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,27]],"date-time":"2025-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740614400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Humanities and Social Science Research Project of Hebei Education Department","award":["SQ2024156"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SQ2024156"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Amid global challenges like COVID-19 and trade wars, resilient logistics networks are crucial. The China Railway Express (CRE) offers a sustainable alternative to sea and air transport, supporting China\u2019s national logistics strategy and strengthening links between China and Europe. This study applies a three-stage Social Network Analysis (SNA) to CRE using a \u201cpoint\u2013line\u2013network\u201d approach. It evaluates city logistics with the entropy weight method, modifies the gravity model to assess intercity logistical gravity, and constructs a weighted network to analyze centrality evolution through SNA. The results show that cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Chongqing have emerged as central logistics hubs, benefiting from strategic investments in infrastructure and multimodal systems. However, regional disparities persist, with cities like Harbin, Lanzhou, and Urumqi facing challenges in integration due to infrastructure deficits and geographic constraints. Furthermore, inefficiencies in border logistics, inconsistent customs procedures, and limited multimodal integration hinder the CRE\u2019s potential. Addressing these challenges through infrastructure investment, unified customs standards, multimodal hub development, and advanced technologies like IoT and blockchain is crucial for enhancing connectivity and competitiveness. The findings offer actionable recommendations for policymakers, logistics firms, and researchers, contributing to the sustainable optimization of the CRE within global supply chains.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems13030166","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,28]],"date-time":"2025-02-28T02:48:37Z","timestamp":1740710917000},"page":"166","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Performance Evaluation and Strategic Analysis of Logistics Development for China Railway Express: A Spatial Connectivity Perspective"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Guan","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Economics and Trade, Hebei Vocational and Technical University of Industry, Shijiazhuang 050084, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7398-4368","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maowei","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Convergence, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tra.2020.07.003","article-title":"Importance rankings of nodes in the China Railway Express network under the Belt and Road Initiative","volume":"139","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Transp. 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