A freight train set about its long journey from Muslim-residing Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, central China, on Tuesday to come to Tehran in the framework of the new Silk Road plan, named the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR).
The launch ceremony of the international freight train from Yinchuan to Tehran was held in Beijing on Tuesday.
The journey is just part of China's huge plan to be implemented with a budget of $ 124 billion and cooperation of regional countries.
According to China's People Daily, the train is carrying 560 metric tons of machinery, automobile spare parts, ceramics, glassware, and daily commodities and is scheduled to reach Tehran in about 15 days traveling via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Liang Hua, whose company is in charge of the operation, said, “The train takes more than 20 days less than transporting by ship, and is expected to greatly lower our delivery costs.”
According to local officials from Ningxia's Department of Commerce, the new cargo route will help to increase trade between China and countries in central and west Asia.
China is launching a train to Iran for the second time; the first train entered Iran after traveling 10,000km last year. The train had come from Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, eastern China.
