New freight train route links China with Afghanistan as the first train departed from Chongqing.
A freight train carrying communication equipment and various other goods departed from Chongqing, a municipality in southwest China, on Monday. The train is expected to reach Afghanistan within 12 to 15 days.
This journey marks the launch of a new direct freight train route connecting Chongqing to Afghanistan, passing through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other countries along the way.
The cargo includes communication equipment produced by Chinese telecom giant ZTE, which will support the development of Afghanistan’s local communication infrastructure.
According to Liu Jianfeng from ZTE, the direct rail service reduces transportation time by three to five days compared to traditional road transport, while also lowering logistics costs by 15 to 20 percent.
Furthermore, Xu Runqiu, an executive at Yuxin’ou (Chongqing) supply chain management company, emphasized that the new freight train route strengthens China’s economic and trade ties with Central Asian countries.
Chongqing has been working to establish itself as a major inland logistics hub, witnessing continuous growth in the number of freight trains operating between China and Europe, as well as to Central Asian nations.
So far, more than 18,000 freight trains have been dispatched from Chongqing, covering over 50 established routes and connecting the city to more than 100 hub cities across Asia and Europe.
Moreover, the China-Europe freight train service (Yuxin’ou) was first launched in March 2011, creating a direct overland trade corridor between Chongqing and Duisburg, Germany.
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