A trans-Caspian international transport corridor for the China-Europe Railway Express was launched on Friday in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. 

A China-Europe freight train departed from Xi'an International Port Station. It will travel through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic before reaching its final destination in Mannheim, Germany, covering a total distance of 11,300 kilometers.

The launching ceremony was jointly organized by 15 members of the International Association of Trans-Caspian International Transport Routes.

Yuan Xiaojun, general manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation, noted that in the past, trans-Caspian international transport primarily operated through outsourcing, with various rail and logistics companies commissioned separately. However, today, all member units have united their efforts and resources in Xi'an to collaboratively serve the Chinese market.

"This shift and upgrade in the service model not only enhances the efficiency, timeliness and cost-effectiveness of transporting goods from China to Europe via this corridor but also deepens the integration of services from the trans-Caspian member units into China, fostering a stronger connection with the Chinese export market," he said.

Since the launch of the trans-Caspian and Black Sea train services in April 2022, Xi'an's trans-Caspian train operations have entered a phase of rapid growth. The frequency has increased from one train every seven days to six to seven trains per week. To date, a total of 150 trains have been dispatched, transporting 137,000 tonnes of goods.

(China Media Group's Wu Chengxuan and Li Zhi contributed to this story.)