HOHHOT — A freight train service linking Northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region with the Netherlands began operations on Nov 28.

The train, loaded with 200 tonnes of flaxseed cake, a type of cattle feed, left Erenhot in Inner Mongolia, the largest port along the China-Mongolia border, for Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The trip will take 12 days, compared to the traditional sea route, which takes over 40 days, according to a Hohhot Railway Bureau official.

On Nov 20, a freight train service linking Inner Mongolia with Kazakhstan began operations.

Many Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Chongqing and Harbin, have launched freight services to boost trade with central Asia and Europe in recent years.