A China-Europe freight train loaded with COVID-19 self-testing kits departs from Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on April 21. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

A China-Europe freight train loaded with COVID-19 self-testing kits worth more than $45 million departed from Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on April 21, heading to Duisburg, Germany.

It was the first China-Europe freight train especially launched for transporting anti-COVID-19 epidemic supplies. 

Chen Luchao, manager of the local operator of China-Europe freight trains, said that the China-Europe freight service in Xiamen has become a vital logistics channel for ensuring Sino-European trade exchanges and cooperation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statistics show that the trains had transported 466 containers of anti-COVID-19 epidemic supplies from Xiamen to European countries, such as Poland, Germany, and Russia, from February 2020 to April 21 this year, with the combined amount valued at more than $80 million.

Officials said that the city's relevant departments involving transport, customs, and railways have worked to ensure the stable operation of the China-Europe freight service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special work teams have been established and tailored solutions have been offered. For this train, it took less than a week from the application for the train to the loading of goods.