Xuzhou opens new freight train service to Mongolia

Loaded with 100 cargo containers, a China-Europe freight train left Tongshan Station in Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province for Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia on July 26.

The departure marked the launch of the first China-Europe freight train from Xuzhou to the neighboring country of China as the city has opened more trade routes.

The cargoes are mainly motorbikes, aluminum empty cans, security doors and other export commodities, with a total weight of about 440 tonnes and a market value of about $1.4 million.

The train will pass the border port of Erenhot in North China''s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region before reaching Ulaanbaatar within six days over a total distance of about 2,540 kilometers.

Mongolia is the second largest landlocked country in the world and an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2021, the China-Mongolia trade volume hit $9.12 billion, up 35.3% year-on-year. China has been Mongolia''s biggest investment source and trade partner for 18 consecutive years.

Xuzhou’s China-Europe freight train services have maintained a strong momentum of development this year, including 230 trips from January to June, an increase of 91.7% year-on-year. The cargo trains helped achieve a trade volume of $277 million.

Via five ports in China, Xuzhou’s cargo trains reach more than 50 cities in 20 countries including Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.