A freight train loaded with local specialties from North China's Shanxi province departs from Taigu Railway Station in Jinzhong city on July 18. [Photo/Yellow River News] 

A freight train loaded with local specialties from North China's Shanxi province departed from Taigu Railway Station in Jinzhong city on July 18.

The train, consisting of 30 containers with castings, mature vinegar, and milk, will travel over 2,000 kilometers to the cities of Chengdu, Kunming, and Liuzhou. The travel time is 50 percent shorter than that of regular freight trains, and the logistics costs can be reduced by around 30 percent, according to Fang Lishan, a stationmaster of Taigu Railway Station. 

The loaded specialty products of the first express freight train come from the malleable cast iron industrial base in Taigu district, dairy product manufacturers in Qixian county, and the vinegar industry cluster in Qingxu county. 

According to a member of staff at the freight department of China Railway Taiyuan Bureau Group, the freight train adopts a "railway + road" transportation mode, avoiding the traditional process of document handover and cargo transfer. This improves logistics efficiency, shortens transportation time, reduces logistics costs for enterprises, and opens up new ways for the transportation of Shanxi specialty products. 

In the future, China Railway Taiyuan Bureau Group will organize this regular express freight train on a weekly basis, and the variety of loaded goods will be further expanded.