Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui                                                                                                                                                                   05 Sept. 2017                                                                                                                                                                               (Xinhua News)

A Chinese freight train bound for Tehran departs today from the Yinchuan South Railway Station in Yinchuan, Capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The launch ceremony of the international freight train from Yinchuan to Tehran was held here on Tuesday, 5th of September 2017.

Earlier,  new China-Europe freight train service began on Monday,  22nd of August 2017 linking Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, with Munich, Germany.

A train loaded with electrical equipment left Zhengzhou for Munich on it’s around two weeks long first journey.

The train is expected today 5th of September to leave Munich on its return trip.

Zhengzhou opened its first China-Europe freight train route to Hamburg in July 2013. The number of cargo trains has increased dramatically under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The new route to Munich will help lower transportation costs to southern and central European countries, said Huo Xiaohua, a customs manager with Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co., Ltd.

Munich is renowned for its auto industry. The new freight route will also boost the import of brand name automobiles in the future, Huo said.

On Sunday, 20th August 2017, a new China-Europe freight train service began linking Russia with Golmud in Qaidam Basin, northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

The train, loaded with containers of chemical, left China through the Alataw Pass in Xinjiang, had it’s route via Kazakhstan before reaching Perm in Russia.

The trip covers about 6,360 kilometers and takes 10 days, 30 days less than the previous sea route.

“The new service can boost the international competitiveness of local goods,” said Meng Hai, governor of Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai.

On Tuesday, 16 August 2017, a new China-Europe freight train was launched linking Poland with Ganzhou in East China’s Jiangxi Province.

The train, loaded with 41 containers of furniture, electronic goods, clothes and toys, departed from Ganzhou for Warsaw, Poland through Manzhouli port in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

On 4th of August 2017,  at 1100 AM Friday, First freight train X8074 from Prague, Czech Republic arrived in Yiwu, East China’s Zhejiang Province, after a 16-day journey. The train carried 82 containers of crystal products, automobile accessories, beer and some other Czech products, with total value of about five million U.S. dollars

Cargo train services between Ganzhou, East China’s Jiangxi Province, and Nankang in Kazakhstan began Thursday, 27 July 2017. Train carried 100 containers of furniture, clothes and electronic goods departed from Ganzhou on it’s 12 days long journey.

Kazakhstan is the third Central Asian destination from the port, following Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, said Zhong Dingyan, deputy head of Nankang District in Ganzhou. China plans to link Tajikistan and Turkmenistan  in near future.

Encouraged by the Belt and Road Initiative, more than 20 Chinese cities now run trains to central Asia and Europe.