New China-Europe freight train route links C. China's Changsha with Latvia

Train X8426 bound for Minsk departs from Changsha north railway station in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province on May 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

A China-Europe freight train route has been launched Wednesday to link Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, and Latvia, reported People.cn on Friday.

The cargo train carries 50 containers loaded with hardware, daily necessities and other commodities, valuing around 4.1 million U.S. dollars. The train is scheduled to arrive in Latvia in 17 days via Mongolia and Russia.

Latvia is located in the northeast part of Europe, and adjacent to the Baltic Sea in the west. It is a crossroad connecting northern and eastern Europe. Besides, it plays an important role in Asia-Europe logistics chain and is one of the most convenient hubs for transporting goods from Asia to Europe.

As of April 27, a total of 319 Changsha China-Europe freight trains have been operated this year, a year-on-year increase of 53.85 percent, and 13,127 containers have been shipped. Through six gateway ports such as Suifenhe and Alashankou, Changsha China-Europe freight trains have gradually formed an international multimodal transport network connecting nearly 50 countries and regions in the Eurasian continent.