International railway freight transportation refers to the use of unified international transport documents, and the railway department is responsible for the whole transportation through two or more railways. When the railway authorities of one country hand over the goods to another country, the consignor and consignee do not need to participate. International carriage of goods by rail is usually based on the Convention on International Carriage of Goods by Rail or the Agreement on International Carriage of Goods by Rail. Most of China's import and export goods to North Korea and Russia are transported by international rail combined transport. The documents of international railway freight transportation are mainly the original and copy of the railway waybill.

Under the international railway freight transportation mode, the transportation cost of the sending country's railway is calculated according to the domestic freight rate of the sending country's railway; The transportation cost of the railway in the country of arrival shall be calculated according to the domestic freight rate of the railway in the country of arrival; The transportation cost of the transit country's railway shall be calculated according to the unified transit freight rate stipulated in the international railway intermodal transport agreement (unified freight rate).