A total of 6,072 China-Europe freight trains have passed through the border port of Erenhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region since 2013, according to the local customs.

A China-Europe freight train runs through the national gate at Erenhot Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 8, 2021. (Photo by Guo Pengjie/Xinhua)

The trains carried about 4.82 million tonnes of goods worth over 90 billion yuan (about 13.94 billion U.S. dollars), said Erenhot customs, which has been handling China-Europe freight trains since 2013.

In 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a record-high number of 2,379 trains passed through the port, an increase of 53.3 percent year on year.

Initiated in 2011, the China-Europe cargo rail transport service is considered a significant component of the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting trade between China and countries participating in the program. Amid the pandemic, the service remains a reliable transportation channel.

Erenhot Port is the only railway port between China and Mongolia, and there are 44 China-Europe freight train routes passing through the port.