URUMQI -- The customs authority at Alataw Pass, a major rail port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, handled a total of 2,128 China-Europe freight trains during the first half of the year, the authority said.

During the Jan-June period, the port handled over half of the country's total China-Europe freight trains.

The total freight volume of inbound and outbound cargo trains through the pass was over 1.46 million tonnes, up 76.85 percent year-on-year, of which outbound trains contributed over 700,000 tonnes, while inbound trains accounted for over 760,000 tonnes.

With the continuous expansion of the China-Europe rail-freight services, the trains now transport a greater variety of goods, including more than 200 categories of items, from electronic and mechanical products to daily necessities and food, according to the customs authority.

The authority said it has implemented measures to boost efficiency, such as optimizing and simplifying the customs-clearance process.