HOHHOT, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 956 China-Europe freight trains passed through the border port of Erenhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the first half of this year, an increase of 34 percent year on year, local authorities said Friday.

Of them, 414 were outbound and 542 inbound, according to the Erenhot station of exit and entry frontier inspection.

These freight trains carried a total of 960,000 tonnes of goods worth around 1.7 billion U.S. dollars from January to June, up 65.6 percent and 2.7 percent year on year, respectively, the local customs data showed.

Initiated in 2011, the China-Europe cargo rail transport service is considered a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative to boost trade between China and countries participating in the program. Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the service remains a reliable transportation channel.

The Erenhot Port is the largest land port on the border between China and Mongolia. So far, there are 38 routes of China-Europe freight trains via the land port.