LHASA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A freight train that set off from Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, reached Xigaze in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Saturday, marking the successful completion of all 12 freight trains in 2025, with a cumulative cargo value exceeding 230 million yuan (about 32.7 million U.S. dollars).
The train, which departed on Dec. 25, carried goods such as daily necessities, fabric rolls and furniture, with a total value of over 6 million yuan.
The freight train service employs a combined rail-road transport model. It collects goods from locations outside Xizang by train, undergoes inspection in Xigaze, and then proceeds to deliver these goods to South Asian countries by truck.
Compared with traditional land transport, it improves transport efficiency by over 30 percent and reduces overall logistics costs by about 20 percent.
Yu Miao, an official from the Xigaze economic development zone management committee, said since the first train's departure on Aug. 15, 2024, the operation scale and service capabilities of the freight trains have continuously improved.
In 2024, one such freight train was operated with a cargo value of 31.85 million yuan. Currently, the export goods have expanded from traditional daily necessities to high-value-added and environmentally friendly products, with new energy vehicles becoming a core export category.
On the basis of regular operations, the freight train service will gradually expand its cargo collection areas along the route in 2026, with an expected increase in transport volume of over 10 percent compared to 2025.
A single purchase
