A train carrying 45 containers of auto parts left Wusu in northwest China’s Xinjiang Wednesday, marking the launch of an international rail freight line linking Xinjiang to Almaty in Kazakhstan.

The Wusu freight station was designated as the official starting point of the China-Europe high-speed railway last September, a move aimed at improving logistics efficiency and boosting trade between Xinjiang and Central Asia.

According to China Urumqi Railway Group Co Ltd, 13,500 China-Europe freight trains passed through the Alatao or Horgos railway ports in the first 10 months of this year, up 13.4 per cent year on year, bringing the total cargo volume to 23.76 million tonnes, up 12.3 per cent year on year.

From January to August, Xinjiang’s import and export volume increased by 30.9 percent to 285.32 billion yuan.