A freight train departs from Toumengang port in the county-level city of Linhai in Taizhou on Feb 28 for Europe. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

The Taizhou-Europe freight route, which was launched about a year ago, has brought huge dividends to Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

On Feb 28, 2022, a freight train carrying 22 standard containers loaded with 10.95 million yuan ($1.57 million) worth of commodities departed from Toumengang port in the county-level city of Linhai in Taizhou for Duisburg, Germany.

The train's departure marked the opening of the freight route, which also passes through Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and a few Central Asian countries. The whole journey spans 11,267 kilometers and lasts about 23 days.

The route has made transporting goods from Taizhou to Central Asia and Europe more convenient and affordable. Formerly, goods that were exported from Taizhou had to be shipped to Shanghai or Ningbo by trucks before being transported by sea to Europe, and vice versa.

Rail transportation - which is significantly cheaper than sea freight - has also helped enterprises expand into overseas markets, said a local official.

In 2022, 203-million-yuan worth of goods produced from Taizhou, including auto and motorcycle accessories, pharmaceutical products, water pumps, sewing machines, leisure goods and furniture, were transported via the route, according to official data.

This year, the city will inaugurate 20 warehouses in 20 countries along the route and provide free rental for two months to some users.