Regular freight trains connect Chengdu, Milan

Regular freight trains linking Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Milan, Italy, are now in operation.

A train carrying refrigerators worth 520,000 U.S. dollars departed Friday at the international railway port in Chengdu. The train will travel 10,694 km in 14 days and pass through countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Poland.

The service will run regularly after September, at which point four such freight trains are planned per month on the new route.

Late last year, a freight train departed from Milan and arrived in Chengdu, carrying Italian products such as machinery, high-end furniture, and ceramic tiles.

A manager with the Chengdu railway port said the freight train service would bring Italian products like furniture and tiles to China and ship Chinese IT products, machinery and clothing to Italy.