Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Nov 18, 2021 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of inaugural train departing for Vorsino, Moscow
2. Various of train running
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Yunhong, official, port management section, Guizhou's provincial commerce department:
"Impacted by the pandemic, the maritime transport fees witnessed sharp increases, and the transportation mode is no longer able to meet the logistics demands of foreign companies from our province. The launch of the freight train service has helped bring more Guizhou-made products to other places and reduce the cost of logistics of the companies, which is going to act as a significant role in terms of improving the business environment and promoting international trade."
4. Aerial shots of crane loading containers to train
5. Various of containers loaded onto train

The first direct China-Europe freight train service linking southwest China's Guizhou Province and Russia's Moscow started service on Thursday.

Loaded with goods including guitars, electronics, and ceramics, the inaugural train is expected to arrive in Vorsino, Moscow on Dec. 3, according to the Guizhou provincial commerce department.

There are no transit stops along the new route and the train will leave China via the land port of Manzhouli on the China-Russia border for its destination.

The new route is expected to cut the transportation time to 15 days, compared to the original 53 days by sea.

"Impacted by the pandemic, the maritime transport fees witnessed sharp increases, and the transportation mode is no longer able to meet the logistics demands of foreign companies from our province. The launch of the freight train service has helped bring more Guizhou-made products to other places and reduce the cost of logistics of the companies, which is going to act as a significant role in terms of improving the business environment and promoting international trade," said Li Yunhong, an official with port management section of Guizhou's provincial commerce department.

Previously, goods in Guizhou mainly relied on China-Europe freight trains launched by cities including Chongqing, Chengdu, and Xi'an to reach European and Central Asian countries.

The inland province plans to launch more China-Europe freight train services to destinations such as Poland and Germany in the future.