The first direct freight train between China and Hungary arrived in Budapest on Friday, carrying more than USD 1 million worth of clothing, electronics, toys and steel, state news wire MTI reported.
The 650-meter train, carrying 41 shipping containers, traveled more than 10,000 kilometers over 17 days, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Slovakia before arriving at the Mahart Container Center terminal in the Port of Budapest.
The heads of Mahart Container Center and logistics firm Ekol Hungary, which organized the delivery, marked the arrival of the train together with Chinaʼs Ambassador to Hungary Duan Jielong and Tamás Molnár, Deputy State Secretary for Customs and International Affairs.
Preparations are underway to upgrade the rail line between Budapest and Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Hungarian state-owned railways MÁV, the China Railway International Corporation and China Railway International Group set up a joint venture late last year for coordinating the upgrade of the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade line. The stretch is set to become part of a transport corridor for Chinese goods bound for Europe.
Source: bbj.com
