New freight train route links China, Ukraine

A new China-Europe freight train route was launched Friday, linking the city of Jinhua in east China's Zhejiang Province with Kiev, capital of Ukraine.

The train, carrying 86 TEUs of goods worth around 4.6 million U.S. dollars, is expected to arrive in Kiev in 15 to 18 days, according to the China Railway Shanghai Group Co., Ltd.

In the future, outbound trains will carry goods such as hardware products, general merchandise and electric tools to Ukraine, while inbound trains will transport Ukraine's wood, mineral and agricultural products.

Customs data showed that the total imports and exports between Zhejiang and Ukraine hit 13.98 billion yuan (about 2.09 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, up 6.8 percent year on year.

As the coronavirus pandemic severely hit international transport, the China-Europe freight trains play a pivotal role in land transport among countries, as shown by the rising number of trains, opening of new routes and volume of goods.

With the new Jinhua-Kiev route, the number of China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train routes starting in Jinhua has increased to 13.

More than 300 China-Europe freight trains have departed from Jinhua since the beginning of this year, carrying over 24,900 TEUs. Jinhua is also expected to launch new freight train routes to France and Belgium this year. Enditem