China-Europe freight train hub Chongqing reports rising trips in H1

A driver signals before a Yuxin'ou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) China-Europe freight train leaves the Tuanjie Village Station of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, March 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a major hub for China-Europe freight trains, saw 1,359 trips in the first half of the year, up over 50 percent year on year, according to local authorities.

The Yuxinou (Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe) railway, which is the first China-Europe freight train route, was put into operation in March 2011.

Originally designed to transport laptops for local IT companies, the Yuxinou railway has now launched more than 30 routes, connecting over 40 cities in 26 countries and transported over 1,000 types of goods ranging from whole-vehicles and auto parts to medicines and consumer products.

In the first half of this year, trips of the Yuxinou railway accounted for 18 percent of the total China-Europe freight train trips across the country, data from the port and logistics office of the municipal government showed.

Since its launch in 2011, the Yuxinou route has seen over 8,000 freight train trips, according to the municipal government.