The export freight train departs from Xinjiang on July 20. [Photo/Tide News]

The first export freight train on the Aksu-Ningbo Zhoushan Port rail-sea intermodal route departed on July 20, marking the launch of a new eastbound logistics corridor connecting southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with global markets through one of China's busiest ports.

Carrying containers of Xinjiang cotton fabrics, feed additives, and other products, the train set off from the railway line serving Aksu Textile Industrial City. It will travel 4,910 kilometers across six provinces and pass through 68 railway stations before reaching Ningbo Zhoushan Port's Beilun rail terminal, where the cargo will be transferred directly onto ships for overseas destinations.

The new service is the first export train from southern Xinjiang to Ningbo Zhoushan Port and among the first in the region to adopt a "one-container-through" transport model. Under this system, goods remain in the same container throughout the rail and sea journey, reducing handling, lowering logistics costs, and minimizing the risk of cargo damage.

Aksu is a major cotton-producing and textile manufacturing base in China. Because of its inland location, most local exports previously moved westward, while some goods bound for coastal ports required multiple container transfers, increasing transportation costs.

The new corridor is expected to provide a more efficient export channel for southern Xinjiang's textiles and agricultural products to Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.