East China's coastal city of Xiamen officially launched the country's first rail route to Europe on a smart and secure trade lanes (SSTL) program.

The cargo train, carrying 38 containers of liquid crystal displays worth 31 million yuan (4.5 million U.S. dollars), departed Xiamen on Thursday morning and is scheduled to arrive in Lodz, Poland in 15 days.

Previously, shipping from Xiamen to Poland took about 40 days.

Xiamen opened cargo trains to Europe in August 2015. Demand for rail freight between China and Europe, an alternative to slower and riskier ocean shipping and much costlier air travel, has exploded in recent years.

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