The first freight train linking Harbin and Hamburg prepares to depart from Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, June 13, 2015. The first freight train linking Harbin and Germany's Hamburg departed from Harbin on Saturday. It runs a course of 9,820 kilometers and is expected to return to Harbin on July 11. [Photo/Xinhua]

HARBIN - A freight train service between the northeastern China city of Harbin and Europe was launched on Saturday, opening a new trade route between China and Europe.

The train left the railway station in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, at 10 am Saturday, carrying 49 containers of domestic goods such as electronic products and auto parts from northeast and north China, worth $3 million.

During the 9,820-km-long travel, the train will pass Russia and Poland before reaching its destination of Hamburg, Germany, said Tu Xiaoyue, general manager of HAO Logistics Co., Ltd, a joint venture which runs the service.

The train will be run once every week and each single trip takes 15 days. It will transport goods from China, the Republic of Korea and Japan as well as European countries such as Germany, Poland, France, Spain and Italy.

Several Chinese cities, including Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei, Yiwu and Suzhou, have launched similar freight train services to Europe.