The first railway express logistics demonstration train departs Yiwuxi Railway Station in Jinhua. [Photo/Tide News]

A train loaded with 27 containers of goods departed from Jinhua, Zhejiang province, on Jan 6, bound for Guangzhou International Port in Guangdong province.

This journey is the first express railway logistics demonstration train from the Yangtze River Delta to the Pearl River Delta.

The new service has slashed the transit time between Jinhuadong Railway Station and Guangzhou International Port to just 17 hours, a reduction of over 18 hours from previous services.

The service is one of six express logistics demonstration train routes connecting economic regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The train will run six times weekly, better connecting the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta.

Jinhua, a key transportation hub in Zhejiang, is also renowned for its global exports such as small commodities from Yiwu and hardware from Yongkang.

"With the launch of the new train, businesses and customers can book delivery services through the 95306 platform as easily as buying train tickets," said Xu Dongming, marketing manager of China Railway Shanghai Group's Hangzhou Railway Logistics Center.

Feng Xubin, chairman of Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment Co, the operator of the Yixin'ou China-Europe freight train, emphasized that the express service will strengthen Jinhua's product reach and expedite the transportation of imported food like wine and meat products from Europe and Central Asia to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.