Cargo train service to link Xiamen, Budapest

The first Xiamen-Moscow train departs from the Xiamen free trade zone in April 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A new freight train service will be launched later this month, linking the eastern China port city of Xiamen and Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province with the Hungarian capital of Budapest, making it the newest China-Europe freight train route.

A single trip on the route takes about 17 days. Without the direct train service, it used to take at least a month to transport goods from Xiamen to Budapest.

Budapest serves as the transportation hub of goods in Europe such as electronic devices, shoes, hats, bags, wholesale goods, and construction materials.

The service will help transport electronic devices, shoes, hats and bags produced in Xiamen and its neighboring areas, and equipment produced in Xi'an and its neighboring areas directly to the Central and Eastern European markets.

Since 2015, more than 200 freight train routes have been launched that align Xiamen with European cities, including Hamburg and Duisburg in Germany and Moscow in Russia. With the opening of the China-Europe freight train routes, Xiamen has been playing an increasingly important role in the implementation of China's Belt and Road Initiative.