GUANGZHOU - With a long whistle, a freight train coded X8426 and loaded with electronic products, garment and machinery left southern China's city of Guangzhou Saturday morning, heading for Vorsino, Kaluzhskaya Oblast in Russia.

The Guangzhou-Russia freight train was inaugurated a year ago.

Over the past year, a total of 43 trains have run on the route, delivering more than 17,000 tonnes of products, worth $236 million, from Guangzhou to Russia.

It takes the train 15 to 18 days to reach Vorsino, about 10 days less than the sea-rail transport service, and 25 days less than a ship. The costs are just one-third of air transportation.

"Our train runs once per week and were fully loaded from March this year, one of the highest loading rates among all China-Europe routes," said Huang Zhongxi, general manager of Guangzhou Dashunfa Logistics, the train operator.

Kong Zhi, from Guangzhou customs, said they had set up a window for China-Europe trains and had significantly raised the clearance efficiency.

More than 20 Chinese cities now run trains to central Asia and Europe.