This photo taken on March 14, 2024 shows an international freight train preparing to depart from Harbin international container center station in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

A new international freight train route linking Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, with Tilburg in the Netherlands, has been launched, becoming the first China-Europe freight train service connecting the border province with a city in the Netherlands.

A cargo train loaded with 1,300 tonnes of amino acid in 55 containers departed from the station of Harbin international container center on Thursday, marking the inauguration of the service, according to the China Railway Harbin Group Co., Ltd.

The train will travel 10,257 km via the port of Manzhouli and arrive at Tilburg in 15 days.

"Compared with sea shipping, the new cargo train service will cut short the delivery time by two-thirds with the distance shortened by half," said Liang Chuan, head of the station.

According to data, the number of China-Europe freight trains and the cargo volume they transported from and to Heilongjiang skyrocketed by 161.5 percent and 151.6 percent year on year, respectively, in the first two months of this year.