BEIJING - China's couriers have joined with the rail network to launch special express trains for e-commerce logistics.

The trains linking Shanghai and Shenzhen, jointly launched by the China Express Association (CEA) and the China Railway Corporation (CRC), will make its debut on July 1, the association said Saturday.

Based on a survey of courier companies, CRC has laid on six trains connecting the four first-tier cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

China's courier industry has become the world's second largest delivering 9.2 billion packages in 2013, up more than 60 percent year on year.

CEA said less than one percent of goods have been delivered by rail up to now, but it will become the top choice for companies since trains are more energy-efficient and have a larger capacity than trucks and aircraft.

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