The Chengdu freight train left China on 21 October, arriving in Luxembourg at around noon on 2 November CFL multimodal

The Chengdu freight train left China on 21 October, arriving in Luxembourg at around noon on 2 November CFL multimodal

The two-week, 10,000 kilometre journey through Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany is expected to be the first of many, blazing a trail for a new freight connection between the two countries.

The train was loaded with automotive, electronic and textile components. It serves as a test run to see if the direct connection with Luxembourg is economically viable.

According to figures provided by the ministry, in 2018 some 6,300 trains ran between China and Europe, a figure expected to reach 8,000 in 2019--far exceeding an original 2016 target of 5,000 trains by 2020.