A China-Europe freight train departed from the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province on Monday morning heading for Madrid, Spain, marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of this route.
Loaded with 110 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods including products for daily use, automotive parts, machinery and equipment, the train is expected to arrive in Madrid within 16 to 18 days.
Over the past decade, more than 6,700 China-Europe freight trains have set off from Yiwu, transporting over 670,000 TEUs of cargo. These trains have provided vital logistical support for the city, which is known as "the world's supermarket," facilitating its access to global markets, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
"China-Europe freight trains leaving from Yiwu have increased from only 23 trains per year to over 1,100 trains per year, with the total annual cargo value rising from 92 million U.S. dollars to 2.62 billion U.S. dollars,” said Tong Dianli, deputy director of Yiwu Sales Department, Hangzhou Railway Logistics Center, China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
The China-Europe freight train service has connected Yiwu with more than 160 cities in 50 countries and regions across Asia and Europe so far.
The first China-Europe freight train on the Yiwu to Madrid route departed on Nov 18, 2014, opening a fast rail route for consumer goods exports from this Chinese city to Europe.
China's consumer goods hub celebrates decade of China-Europe freight train expansion
