HEFEI — A China-Europe freight train, carrying 100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, left Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province on the afternoon of July 29, for Budapest of Hungary, marking the first trip between the two cities.

Anhui-made products such as solar panel components, electric machines, and inverters, with a total worth of nearly $10 million, are expected to arrive in Budapest in 16 to 18 days by train after a journey of more than 10,800 km.

Since Anhui launched the first China-Europe freight train route in 2014, over 2,500 China-Europe freight train trips have been made so far, linking the province with 85 cities in 18 countries.

The China-Europe freight train service provides a new channel for the inland province to connect with the world and export its goods.

A total of 500 such trips have been made so far this year, and 22 more destinations are added to Hefei's China-Europe freight train network.