The China-Europe freight train departs Xi'an and heads for Kiev on July 24. [Photo/xiancn.com]

A China-Europe freight train departed Xinzhu Railway Station in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province on July 24, bound for Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.  

Carrying 41 containers of general merchandise including clothing, shoes and socks, the freight train will arrive in Kiev in about 12 days, via Mongolia and Russia.

The new freight train service will further reduce  the time taken by goods moving between Xi'an and Kiev, and promote the China-Europe freight train (Xi'an) service within East Europe.

A container of goods is loaded onto the freight train. [Photo/xiancn.com]

To date, Xi'an has launched 15 routes linking 45 cities in 15 countries.

The city operated 1,667 freight trains and transported 1.3 million metric tons of goods to these cities in the first half of this year, twice and 1.9 times of the same period last year, respectively.