A freight train loaded with heavy machinery departed from Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to Central Asia’s Kazakhstan on Saturday afternoon, marking the first time heavy machinery is being transported along this route.

Photos provided to People's Daily

Carrying 49 containers, the train will travel 5,031 kilometers over 13 days before arriving its destination.

Weng Yuanchun, manager of the Guangxi Construction Engineering Group, lauded the newly launched service, noting that it now takes 30 days less to deliver tower cranes manufactured by the company to their customers in Kazakhstan.

The newly launched service helps to better leverage Nanning’s role as a regional transportation hub.

As part of the Belt and Road initiative, the China-Europe freight train services play a vital role in deepening cooperation between China and countries along the route.

(Compiled by Yang Jiaqi)