A Sino-Europe freight train stops over at Pinghu South National Logistics Hub in Shenzhen. Courtesy of Shenzhen Customs

A Sino-Europe freight train, carrying 18.5 tons of cargo in 50 carriages, left Pinghu South National Logistics Hub in Shenzhen on May 15, heading to Europe via Xinjiang, according to a release of Shenzhen Customs on Wednesday.

The cargo was shipped to Pinghu through a marine service from Taiwan. It was packed with other cargo in Shenzhen and transported to Malaszewicze, Poland as its destination.

This train was the city's first Sino-Europe freight train to combine the transportation modes of marine and land services.

It was reported that the sea route from Taiwan to Malaszewicze Port will require about 45-55 days while the combined service of land and sea routes will save about half on transportation time and US$1,000 in shipping cost for the cargo.

By May 15, since the first Sino-Europe train was put into operation in August last year, a total of 55 Sino-Europe trains had set out, carrying 27,600 tons of cargo, with a value of 1.6 billion yuan (US$249.74 million), customs data showed.