URUMQI -- Urumqi Railway Bureau said 700 China-Europe trains ran through the capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2017.

Westbound freight trains from other parts of China stopped in Urumqi for goods adjustment before exiting the country through Horgos or Alataw Pass for destinations in Central Asia or Europe.

Thanks to streamlined procedures and better communication with railway authorities in other countries, the transportation time for China-Europe trains has been shortened and departure frequency has increased, according to the bureau.

Last year, 70 percent of China-Europe trains exited China from Xinjiang.

"Urumqi plans to send 1,400 China-Europe trains in 2018, further improving connectivity with Central Asian and European cities," said Nan Jun, vice general manager of Xinjiang Xintie International Logistics Company.