Manzhouli sees over 1,300 trains between China, Europe in 2017

HOHHOT - More than 1,300 freight trains ran between China and Europe via Manzhouli, the largest land port on the China-Russia border, in 2017, up 53 percent year-on-year.

The trains carried nearly 110,800 standard containers of goods, up 62 percent year-on-year, according to statistics announced Wednesday by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

A total of 411 inbound trains traveled via 11 routes, carrying cargo from 12 European countries and regions, while 891 outbound trains ran via 30 routes, according to the bureau.

The port, which borders Russia to the north and sits close to Mongolia to the west, has been increasingly busy under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Freight trains made a total of 6,235 trips via 57 routes since China-Europe freight train services began in 2011, according to statistics announced in late December by the transport coordinating committee for China-Europe trains.

The rail network has bridged 35 Chinese cities with 34 European cities in 12 countries over the past six years.

In 2017, more than 3,270 trips were made between cities on the two continents. The number of trips is expected to reach 4,000 in 2018, according to the China Railway Corporation.