A freight train departs from Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, on Dec 28, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

Shijiazhuang, capital of China's northern Hebei province, is making efforts to build a hub for the China-Europe freight train in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to support the region's development, said Liu Ruiling, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, on Monday.

Liu Ruiling, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is interviewed ahead of the opening of the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 4, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Liu, also the general manager of the International Land Port in Hebei, made the remarks ahead of the opening meeting of the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing.

"A foreign trade company in Shijiazhuang, specializing in children's toys and electric bicycles, previously faced logistical challenges as their exports relied solely on sea freight," Liu said.

"Containers had to be transported from the seaport back to the factory for product loading before being sent back to the port for export, leading to a significant increase in logistics costs."

"With the establishment of the international land port in Shijiazhuang, the company has now turned to the China-Europe freight train service, which saves more than 2 million yuan ($277,800) in logistics services,"

He also noted that the sea freight from to Europe takes 40 days, and the China-Europe freight train only takes in 15 days.

"This significant reduction in transportation time has not only lowered logistics costs but also improved capital turnover and enhanced product competitiveness," he said.

The China-Europe freight train began operation in 2011. By the end of last month, the number of China-Europe freight train services was more than 85,000.

According to China State Railway Group, the national railway operator, 17,000 of such services were operated last year, carrying 1.9 million containers, up 5 and 18 percent, respectively.