URUMQI — Alataw Pass, the largest land port in Northwest China, saw an increase in the number of China-Europe freight trains and freight volume in the first seven months of 2018, local authorities said.

More than 1,320 China-Europe freight trains carrying 577,600 tons of goods passed through the port in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region between January and July, up 32.4 percent year-on-year, according to the port’s administrative office.

The port on the China-Kazakhstan border has become a busy transportation hub since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. Around 70 percent of China-Europe freight trains pass through the port each year.

According to the local customs office, over 6,000 China-Europe freight trains had traveled through Alataw Pass as of Aug 14 since 2011, when the first China-Europe line was launched between Chongqing and Duisburg, Germany.

Li Hongfeng, a customs official, said that the average waiting time for China-Europe trains at Alataw Pass has been reduced to around 15 hours from 24 hours years ago.

Ten China-Europe railway routes pass through Alataw, reaching 36 cities in 13 European countries.