Thanks to a new freight train service, citizens of Naples, Italy may find it easier to buy commodities produced in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
A train carrying tomato sauce left Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, for Italy's Naples on Monday morning, the first between Xinjiang and Naples.
The train will pass through Horgos Pass before it travels on a sea-rail combined route. The 10,500-km trip will last 25 days, only half of the traditional travel time via sea alone.
Urumqi, which saw its first China-Europe train in 2016, now has three such trains each day.
Over 200 types of products ranging from daily necessities to mechanical equipment and electronic components are sent to Central Asia and Europe from Xinjiang.
Nan Jun, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Xintie International Logistics Company, said that Urumqi plans 1,400 European train trips this year, with more routes and better logistical efficiency.
The number of China-Europe freight train reached a new high of more than 3,600 last year.