Shaanxi province opened its second new China-Europe rail freight line in a month as the first ever Xi’an-Hamburg train set off from Xi’an International Trade and Logistics Park on Sep 2.

The opening of the new Hamburg line comes less than one week after a Xi’an–Warsaw freight train completed its maiden journey Aug 31.

The opening of the Warsaw line was so well received by trading and logistics firms at home and abroad that the park decided to extend the route to Hamburg. Its initiative has won the support of the provincial and city governments.

The train’s epic 13-day journey will take in the Alataw Pass, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland before ending in Germany. From there, its cargo of machinery equipment, furniture, clothes and digital equipment will be distributed to cities across Europe.

The logistics park is also planning to launch further freight lines and schedule more trains, in a bid to provide its tenants with a better service and to make Xi’an a hub for Central Asian and European trade.

This bid was given a further boost on Aug 31, when China’s State Council gave Shaanxi approval to set up a new free trade zone in the province.

Source: China daily.com