Staff members inspect cargo at the Guangzhou Dalang logistics base. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

A China-Europe freight train heading to Selyatino in Russia via Erenhot in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region departed from Guangzhou on Aug 9, marking the operation of a new China-Europe freight route. 

The train was loaded with 209.6 metric tons of cargo, comprised of exported toys and leather products produced by companies in the Pearl River Delta, in 100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The whole trip will be completed in about 15 days.

"The demand from countries and regions alongside the Belt and Road for industrial products like small appliances, furniture, and toys manufactured in Guangdong province have been rising," said Fang Qinhong, person in charge of Goldjet Logistics.

"Guangzhou Customs has made customized solutions for multimodal logistics clearance of cross-border e-commerce goods to make sure that the goods can be exported smoothly through China-Europe freight trains. The opening of the new freight route has offered more choices and convenience for companies," added Fang.

Fang noted that transporting cross-border e-commerce goods via China-Europe freight trains can save more than half of the time compared with shipping.

Currently, a total of four new China-Europe freight routes have opened this year, covering destinations in countries and regions like Poland, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Guangzhou's China-Europe freight trains have offered import and export cargo services for more than 1,500 companies in the province, realizing an overall import and export volume of over 1.15 billion yuan ($164.71 million).