A freight train heading for Afghanistan's Hairatan pulls out of the Dongchuan logistics center in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin)

A freight train departed from Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, on Wednesday, and headed for Hairatan in Afghanistan, marking the launch of a new cargo route.

The freight train is loaded with 39 containers of goods, worth 1.5 million U.S. dollars, which include auto parts, furniture, office supplies, and mechanical equipment.

Commencing its journey from the Dongchuan logistics center in Lanzhou, the train embarked towards Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Once in Kashgar, the goods will be transferred to trucks for onward transportation to Kyrgyzstan. From there, these goods will be shipped by railway again before finally arriving in Afghanistan's Hairatan.

The successful opening of this freight route will further strengthen the economic and trade cooperation and exchanges among China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and other countries along the Belt and Road, according to one of the companies that operated the transport service.

Lanzhou is a transportation hub in northwest China. At present, it has opened international train services reaching over 30 cities in more than 20 countries.