4,000 cargo train trips made between China, Europe

NINGBO - More than 4,000 cargo train trips have been made between Chinese and European cities since start of their operations six years ago, a railway corporation manager said Thursday.

Of the trips 99.7 percent were on time, Han Shurong, of China Railway Corp., said at a meeting between China and countries of Central and Eastern Europe held in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province.

The transported items included IT products, such as mobiles and computers, to clothes, cars and auto parts, food, wine, coffee beans, timber and machines, he said.

"Unlike in the past when most trains returned to China empty because of a lack of goods, over half of the trains came back loaded last year," he said.

The rail network was launched in August 2011 with the opening of the Chongqing-Duisburg Line, which starts from the southwest China metropolis of Chongqing. The trains are currently operated between 28 Chinese cities and 29 cities in 11 European countries.