The international freight train named Chang'an will start its return journey next month from Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, further promoting trade and transportation between China and the countries in Central Asia.

"The return trip will bring back goods made by Kazakhstan and our residents in Xi'an can taste the high-quality rapeseed oil produced in Kazakhstan next month," said Yang Mingrui, deputy director of Xi’an International Trade and Logistics Park in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, where the train started.

According to Zhang Yi, chief of Xinzhu Railway Station in the park, the train started its journey from Xi'an to Alma-Ata officially on Nov 28, 2014 and by July 24, 100 trains with 5,215 train carriages had been sent to the Central Asian country.

"We cumulatively sent 140,000 tons of goods to the Central Asian countries, with the total value of about $185 million," Zhang said.

The railway chief said that the international freight train was on a normal timetable with 8 trains being sent abroad per month and the railway has become a convenient and efficient shipping channel along the Silk Road economic belt.

"The goods originate from throughout the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Ningxia and a large number of industrial materials, machinery and equipment, spare parts, food, and light industrial products were shipped to the 5 countries in Central Asia," the railway chief said.

Yang said that the logistics channel to the Central Asian countries and Europe developed by the freight train were important for the development the economy of inland city Xi’an and other inland regions.

"We have built a comprehensive bonded zone in our park and provide very efficient service for bonded import declaration. With the train and the logistic channel, we will increase efforts to develop the one belt and one road strategy and further promote the trade and cooperation between China and countries in Central Asia and Europe," Yang said.