China-Europe freight train services surge in 2018

China-Europe freight trains made 6,363 trips in 2018, surging 73 percent from 2017, according to the China Railway Corporation.

Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2017 shows a Chinese Railway Express cargo train leaving for Prague, the Czech Republic, from Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Freight traffic has been more balanced, with the number of trips from Europe to China accounting for 72 percent of trips, up from 53 percent in 2017.

The trains connect 59 Chinese cities with 49 cities in 15 European countries.

The freight service, a crucial part of the Belt and Road Initiative, began operation in March 2011.

For the past years, trains have rumbled along the route, taking garments, auto parts, chemicals and other Chinese goods to European consumers, while bringing back European food, machinery, equipment and timber.