On 22 May 2017, the first container train serving the railway cargo route linking Shenzhen with the Belarusian capital of Minsk set off from YICT, marking the launch of the first direct freight route from Shenzhen to Europe. Chen Biao, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen, Yu Baoming, Director-General of the Transport Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, Wu Delin, Head of the Yantian District Government, and Patrick Lam, Managing Director of YICT, attended a ceremony held to mark the occasion.
The train will travel 9,900km to reach its destination via the Alataw Pass in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The new rail freight link is inspired by China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, adding another gateway to the “Silk Road Economic Belt”. It will contribute to Shenzhen becoming a key connection in the “Belt and Road”, helping to expand the city’s intermodal service network and efficiently linking the rail and the port.