Starting from the interaction between the China-Europe Railway Express (CR Express) and the cities along the line, the study analyzes the positive effects of the CR Express on the high-quality development of the cities of Xi’an, Chongqing and Shijiazhuang from six aspects, including the scale of foreign trade, functional positioning, industrial structure, infrastructure, green and low carbon development, and city cooperation. The study proposes that as an important carrier of cross-border trade between Asia and Europe, CR Express has a positive effect in promoting the development of open economy in inland cities. As CR Express enters into large-scale operation, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination at the policy level, and further improve the mechanism in four aspects, namely, planning and guiding at the national level, regional cooperation and interconnection, industrial integration and upgrading, and international cooperation and exchange, to promote the development of open economy at a higher level in the cities in response to the problems in plannings, freight transport, operational efficiency, and Market-based operations.