On the morning of Oct 30, two international freight trains loaded with Hunan specialty products, such as auto parts, porcelain, and tea, departed from the Xia’ning Railway Port in Changsha, heading to Duisburg in Germany and Tashkent in Uzbekistan respectively.

International logistics between Hunan province in China and Europe have entered into a new era as of now, after the freight transport railway officially brought the Xiang people onto the New Silk Road.

He Baoxiang, vice governor of Hunan’s Provincial Government, attended the launch ceremony and announced the departure.

The European Union is Hunan province’s largest international trade partner. Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia all make up important overseas markets. The opening of the Hunan-Europe freight transport rail is a momentous decision for Hunan to strengthen strategic interactions with the Silk Road economic zone and construct a west-bound international corridor.

It is also significant in optimizing the province’s international logistics framework, upgrading its time efficiencies, and enhancing the trade and investment between Europe and Hunan.

The Hunan-Europe Express Line initiated its double rail lines at the same time. The train on the north line will depart China through Manchuria in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, passing through Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany. It will take 16-18 days to finish the whole journey of 11,905 kilometers.

The south line train will depart China through Alashankou in Xinjiang, running through Kazakhstan, and finally arriving at Tashkent in Uzbekistan. It will take 11 days to transport goods from Changsha to Tashkent along the 6,476-km line.