Xinhua: Tianjin FTZ commences European freight rail service

The first cargo train departed the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone in Northern China early Monday morning for Minsk, Belarus, carrying 104 containers of construction materials, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency.    The Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone in Northern China has commenced its first freight rail service to Europe, according to a report from Xinhua News Agency.
   The first train departed the Tianjin FTZ early Monday morning for Minsk, the capital of Belarus, carrying 104 containers of construction materials. It is scheduled to arrive in Belarus Dec. 4, at which time it will be reloaded with goods like wood products for the return trip to Tianjin.
   Xinhua cited the administrative committee for Tianjin Dongjiang Port Area, which said the Tianjin-Minsk freight train is currently scheduled to run 20 times per year and carry an annual total of 30,000 metric tons of goods.
   The service, seen as an important link between China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and its Silk Road Economic Belt, will likely be expanded to additional European cities in the future, according to the committee.