SHANGHAI, Nov. 4 -- International logistics giant DHL on Monday announced the launch of a new China-Europe railway freight express jointly opened with Xi'an International Lugang Group.

The 9,400-km-long freight route, which connects Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province with the German cities of Hamburg and Neuss, is expected to shorten the haulage time from 17 days to 10 to 12 days.

Xi'an is an important hub on the Silk Road Economic Belt and has cultivated several pillar industries with competitiveness in producing electronic products, biomedicine, automobiles and industrial products, said Steve Huang, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China.

The newly launched railway freight express services will further strengthen connections between Xi'an and the European markets, he added.

Xi'an has opened 12 China-Europe freight train routes, linking with more than 20 cities in seven European countries via 44 stations in Central Asia, according to Qu Jinwei, general manager of Xi'an International Lugang Group.