Based on the panel data of listed manufacturing firms in China during 2010～2019, this paper explores the impact of the China-Europe liner trains on the ESG performance of firms in the nodal cities using the interleaved DID method. The results show that the opening and operation of China-Europe liner trains significantly enhances the ESG performance of firms in nodal cities, and the conclusions remain robust after a series of robustness tests. Further research has found that green technological innovation and financing constraints are important mechanisms for the China-Europe liner trains to enhance the ESG performance of enterprises. Meanwhile, there is channel-wise heterogeneity in the impact of China-Europe liner trains on firms’ ESG performance, with the western corridor playing a major role in enhancing firms’ ESG performance relative to the eastern and central corridors.