HOHHOT - A new cargo train service linking North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region with Europe is to open soon, local authorities said on Friday.

The new route will link Erenhot, an Inner Mongolian city bordering on Mongolia, with Europe via the Russian capital Moscow.

The cargo train will slash the Erenhot-Europe transportation time to just 12 days instead of about a month via shipping.

It will mainly carry goods such as auto parts, iron and steel products and daily necessities from Chinese cities of Hohhot, Baotou, Erdos and Ulanqab, and then return to China with Russia's wood and fertilizer, Germany's machine parts and northern Europe's packing materials, according to sources with the Erenhot government.

At least 20 trains have been scheduled on the route before the end of this year.