HUANGPU SHANGHAI

A China-Europe freight train departs from Khorgos Land Port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo by Mao Weihua/chinadaily.com.cn]

A total of 9,679 China-Europe freight trains had departed from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region by the end of 2020, hitting a record high, according to the local railway bureau.

As of Dec 31, the number of China-Europe freight trains travelling via Alataw Pass reached 5,027, a 41.8 percent increase year-on-year. Freight trains going via Khorgos Land Port reached 4,652, up 37 percent year-on-year.

The freight train services undertook more outbound transportation missions last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the year, local railway authorities expanded the capacity of the Alataw Pass and the Horgos Port and enhanced efficiency through better work flow and operations.

Thanks to better coordination among railway, customs, and border control authorities, as well as Kazak authorities, the time needed for a train to pass over the border was reduced to less than one hour from as much as 10 hours.　

There are 22 freight train routes such as Yuxinou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) and Zhengxinou (Zhengzhou-Xinjiang-Europe) that travel via Alataw Pass, reaching 13 countries include Germany, Belgium and Russia, and transporting more than 200 different types of goods.

Over 100 kinds of product including grain, timber, daily necessities, and electrical accessories can be transported to more than 10 countries on 16 routes via Khorgos Land Port, with destinations including Uzbekistan and Poland.

An average of 10 China-Europe freight trains departed each day from Xinjiang in 2019 and this number grew to 14 in 2020, with a single-day high of 23, according to Liu Quanmin, an official with the local railway authorities.