HANGZHOU — Loaded with 100 cargo containers, a China-Europe freight train left the city of Jinhua in East China's Zhejiang province for Venlo in the Netherlands on July 20.

The departure marked the launch of the first China-Europe freight train from Zhejiang to the Netherlands, and also the departure of the 400th China-Europe freight train handled by Jinhua this year, said the China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co Ltd.

The train, carrying motorcycles, vehicle brackets and other commodities worth $3.1 million, is expected to arrive in the Dutch city after a journey of 22 days.

The train will return to Jinhua carrying Dutch-made goods such as newsprint, electronic instruments and medical equipment.

Jinhua launched the China-Europe freight train service in 2017. So far it has operated 22 China-Europe freight train routes, linking over 120 cities.

In the first half of this year, Jinhua saw a total of 368 inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains, transporting 30,368 containers of goods, a year-on-year increase of 8 percent.