SHANGHAI — China's economic hub of Shanghai will launch a freight-train service to Hamburg, Germany, on Sept 27, marking the first cross-border railway service between Shanghai and Europe, Shanghai Customs said on Sept 24.

The "Shanghai Express" will be loaded with apparel, auto parts, solar panels, tableware, furniture, daily necessities, machine parts, and other goods.

It will leave China via the Alataw Pass in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and arrive in Hamburg about two weeks later, traveling by way of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland.

According to Shanghai Customs, trains along this route will run regularly every week, while new routes will be opened, providing new logistics options for enterprises at home and abroad.