The first cold chain express train linking Fangchenggang and Chongqing's Jiangjin departs on Sept 4. [Photo by Gan Lu/people.com.cn]

A train loaded with eight cold chain containers departed from Fangchenggang Railway Station in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Sept 4, bound for Chongqing's Jiangjin on a journey expected to take three days.

The departure marked the official start of the coldchain sea-land charted express train route connecting Fangchenggang and Jiangjin.

The cargo on the chartered train, including 120 metric tons of Southeast Asian fruit, 60 tons of shrimp from the Beibu Gulf, 30 tons of Russian chicken feet as well as 30 tons of Finland pig elbows, was scheduled to be distributed to fresh markets in cities such as Chongqing, Guang'an and Chengdu after arriving in Jiangjin.

With the rapid development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region, Fangchenggang has teamed up with nine other cities in China and Vietnam to establish a city alliance for the construction of a convenient cold chain land-sea corridor.

By the end of 2019, Fangchenggang had dispatched 23,000 tons of cargo through cold chain containers via the railway.