A China-Europe freight train bound for Duisburg of Germany prepares for departure at Tuanjiecun Station in southwest China's Chongqing, Jan. 1, 2021. More than 300 km away in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, another China-Europe freight train bound for Poland set off on the same day. Launched in Chongqing and Chengdu in 2011 and 2013, respectively, the China-Europe freight train services have significantly shortened the distance between western China and Europe. So far, about 14,000 freight trains have linked the two cities with Europe, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total number of China-Europe freight trains in China. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)
