A China-Europe freight train loaded with daily commodities, auto parts, and machinery departs from Yiwuxi Railway Station in Zhejiang province for Madrid on Nov 18, 2024. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang operated 346 China-Europe freight train trips in January, up 13.1 percent year-on-year, according to data released by Hangzhou Customs.

During the month, customs authorities supervised 28,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of import and export containers transported by the Zhejiang China-Europe freight service, also known as the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe line, representing an increase of 11.8 percent from a year earlier.

Zhou Huawei, head of the second supervision section at Yiwu Customs, said that since the beginning of the year, the number of train trips has maintained double-digit growth, while the range of traded goods has become more diversified. Recent return trips have transported imported products such as wine and dairy items ahead of Spring Festival, he added.

Since the first Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train departed from Yiwu for Madrid in November 2014, the service has operated more than 15,000 trips. Customs authorities have supervised over 1.2 million TEUs of import and export containers during the period.