The first direct freight train from China to Bratislava, Slovakia, waits for departure on Friday at Dalian Port. [Photo by Zhang Xiaomin / chinadaily.com.cn]

The first China-Slovakia block train, which connects the northeastern port city of Dalian with the capital of the Slovak Republic Bratislava, was launched Friday at Dalian Port in Liaoning province.

Loaded with 41 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units of electronic products, machinery parts and light industrial products, the train is heading for Bratislava directly via Russia and Ukraine.

It takes about 15 days for the train to travel 10,537 kilometers and arrive at the destination in central Europe.

Dalian Port has established a mature sea-rail intermodal service system among Japan, South Korea, and European countries.

In 2016, Dalian Port completed a transit capacity of 18,000 TEU, with a 106 percent increase over the year before.

During the first three quarters of this year, the cumulative completion of the transit capacity was 23,000 TEU with a year-on-year growth of 121 percent, said Zhang Yiming, president of Dalian Port Corporation.