Xinjiang's Alashankou port sees steady growth in China-Europe cargo trains

The number of China-Europe freight trains crossing the inland port of Alashankou in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region continued to rise in the first four months of this year.

A cargo train enters China through the Alashankou Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [File photo/Xinhua]

Customs authorities in Alashankou supervised 1,211 China-Europe cargo trains from January to April, up 28.28 percent year on year. These trains transported a total of 109,064 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods, a year-on-year increase of 37.05 percent.

These figures accounted for 41.47 percent and 41.63 percent of the national total number of China-Europe freight trains and goods transported, respectively, both ranking first in China.

China-Europe freight trains have taken on part of the transportation of goods formerly shipped by air and sea, fueling growth despite the overall downward trend amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

In April, the number of China-Europe freight trains crossing Alashankou set a new record of 420, up 56.13 percent from the previous year. Together they transported 38,702 TEUs of goods, up 70.28 percent year on year.