Guizhou launches direct China-Europe freight train service

GUIYANG -- The first direct China-Europe freight train service linking Southwest China's Guizhou province and countries along the Belt and Road was launched on Monday.

The inaugural train loaded with nearly 300 metric tons of Guizhou tea worth 100 million yuan (about $14.67 million) is expected to arrive in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in eight to 10 days.

Compared with the traditional mode of transportation, which relies mainly on offshore shipping, the direct China-Europe freight train service shortens the travel time and reduces the freight transportation cost by about 20 percent, according to the provincial department of commerce.

Guizhou had over 467,000 hectares of tea plantations by the end of 2019, ranking first in China. According to official statistics, in the first seven months of this year, Guizhou's exported 497.6 tons of tea worth of $20.35 million, up 68 percent year-on-year.