The first China-Europe freight train departed Taiyuan, capital city of of Shanxi province for Lesosibirsk, Russia on Feb. 15. It will transport two large, China-made mine excavators to the Russian city.

Compared to the sea route, the freight method shortens overall transportation time by 20 days; it also effectively avoids sea water erosion to the excavators and losses caused by collision. The train provides a new export channel for enterprises based in Shanxi, which boasted the fastest growth rate in exports and imports in China in 2016.