Railway authorities in China, Belarus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland and Russia have signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on China-Europe freight rail services, according to China Railway Corporation.

The agreement serves the Belt and Road Initiative, expands the market share of rail freight between Asia and Europe and drives economic development and trade cooperation for countries along the route.

The countries will jointly push for better railway infrastructure for a safe, smooth, fast, convenient and competitive rail route, according to the agreement.

Information technology will boost train speeds and form a unified service. Information sharing platforms will be built to ensure transport safety.

The countries will expand the rail services to more areas with faster customs clearance. A joint work team and expert team will be formed to solve problems.

The China-Europe freight train service was launched in 2011 and has grown rapidly with high efficiency. It has become an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

A total of 3,557 freight trains have run so far, with services reaching 27 Chinese cities as well as 28 cities in 11 countries in Europe.