China launches freight train service to Spain

The first train connecting Yiwu, a city in costal Zhejiang province and famous for its small commodities, and Madrid in Spain was launched from Yiwu, at 11:18 on Nov 18, 2014. The launch marks the official start of regular freight train service from Yiwu to Madrid. With commencement of the journey, Yiwu is making its way to becoming an international logistics hub.

The train will travel over 13,052 kilometers along the "Silk Road" enter Kazakhstan through Alashankou in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, cross Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France before reaching its final destination in Spain.

The last cargo container being loaded onto the freight train in Yiwu station, Nov 18, 2014. [Photo/IC]