New international freight train service launched

The first Guizhou-Xi'an-Tashkent/Minsk international freight train departed on Sept 25 from Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, and arrived in Xi'an Port in China's Northwest Shaanxi province, carrying products to be shipped on the China-Europe Chang'an freight train to Asia and Europe.

Xi'an Port is an inland port located in Xi'an International Trade and Logistics (ITL) Park in the city of Xi'an.

The goods carried by the freight train included auto parts, furniture, fabrics and electrical products.

The first Guizhou-Xi'an-Tashkent/Minsk international freight train departs Guiyang on Sept 25. [Photo/gywb.cn]  

The new freight service will provide an important platform and channel for the export of products from Guizhou and surrounding areas to Central Asia, Europe and other regions.

Compared with previous transportation methods, the overall time and costs have been cut by about a third.

At the departure ceremony, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Commerce signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly develop the Belt and Road Initiative, relying on their own resources and advantages.

The signing ceremony takes place for the new international freight train service. [Photo/gywb.cn] 

To date, the China-Europe Chang'an freight train service has established 15 regular routes, achieving full coverage of Europe and Asia.

From January to August this year, the China-Europe Chang'an freight train service made a total of 2,439 trips and transported cargo of 1.89 million metric tons -- 1.9 times and 1.8 times that of the same period last year, respectively.