URUMQI - The number of China-Europe freight trains entering and leaving via Horgos Port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has exceeded 4,000 so far this year, a record high despite the impact of COVID-19, customs authorities said Tuesday.

The number has already surpassed last year's total, according to Horgos Customs on the China-Kazakhstan border.

China-Europe freight train services have been favored by an increasing number of companies during the pandemic thanks to their low prices, large transportation capacity, and great stability and connectivity, said Long Teng with the Horgos Customs.

Liu Kai, manager of a Horgos-based cargo company, said his firm has received an increasing number of orders this year from domestic and overseas clients. From January to October, the company helped transport nearly 650,000 tons of cargo with more than 600 China-Europe freight trains trips.

Horgos Customs and local railway authorities have stepped up efforts to streamline customs clearance to handle the surging number of freight trains.

As of Nov 5, the number of total China-Europe freight trains hit a record high of 10,180 this year, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd.

The trains shipped 927,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo, up 54 percent year-on-year.