Shaanxi, Shanxi cooperate on new international freight route

An international freight train departed from Yongji, North China's Shanxi province, on Aug 28, bound for Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, to transfer its fright to the China-Europe freight train for Central Asia.

The freight train’s cargo was mainly comprised of electrical appliances, textiles, ceramic glass products and medical equipment.

An international freight train departs from Yongji, North China's Shanxi province, on Aug 28, and is expected to transfer its freight to the China-Europe freight train bound for Central Asia. [Photo/Xi'an municipal government's WeChat public account]

The departure marked the official opening of the Yongji-Xi’an-Europe freight route, reducing the transportation time and logistics costs for local Yongji companies.

Yongji is a vital node city that connects Shanxi province with the Silk Road and integrates the area into the country's Belt and Road construction.

The newly opened route will significantly enhance trading companies' competitiveness around Yongji and southern Shanxi and help them explore the Central Asian and European markets.

From January to July this year, the China-Europe Chang'an freight train launched 2,065 trips and transported 1.61 million metric tons of goods -- 1.9 times and 1.8 times that of the same period last year, respectively.