China's Shanxi handles 700 China-Europe freight train trips since 2017

Aerial photo taken on May 12, 2022 shows freight trains at a maintenance base in Datong, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Cao Yang)

TAIYUAN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- North China's Shanxi Province has handled 700 China-Europe freight train trips since the service was launched in 2017, local authorities said.

The 700th freight train, loaded with goods like ceramic tableware, car tires, pipe fittings and glass products, departed from the Zhongding logistics park in Shanxi on Aug. 5, according to the China Railway Taiyuan Group Co., Ltd.

The train, carrying 77 containers with a total cargo volume of about 1,814 tonnes, will pass through the Horgos port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and arrive at the destination countries including Kazakhstan in about 10 days.

Since 2017, Shanxi has launched 10 China-Europe freight train routes linking 13 countries along the Belt and Road.

As the province continues to expand its high-level opening-up, the categories of goods exported via the China-Europe freight trains have gradually widened from the initial items like wheels, stainless steel and solar photovoltaic modules to a variety of categories, including medicines, flanges, ceramics, glassware, walnuts and other local specialty products.