Freight train transports epidemic prevention supplies from Yiwu to Madrid. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe cargo service launched a freight train loaded with 86 TEU of surgical masks, protective clothing, and other epidemic prevention supplies headed for Madrid, Spain, local media reported on June 21.

The cargo line starts at Yiwu West Railway Station and ends in Madrid, the Spanish capital, 13,052 kilometers away.

This is Yiwu's first train designated for the delivery abroad of epidemic prevention supplies.

According to local authorities, the epidemic prevention supplies were purchased by Spanish departments and weigh a total of about 257 tons. They include 25.05 million medical surgical masks and 400,000 sets of protective clothing.

With air and sea transportation coming to a near total halt due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, freight trains leaving Yiwu recorded a surge in the number of trips and shipment volume from a year earlier. Around 1,000 trips are projected for the whole year.

China-Europe freight trains departing from Yiwu connect five cities in eastern China and 36 countries in Europe, including Spain, Denmark, Switzerland and France, achieving the cross-border mail delivery of over 2,000 tons.

To help the world combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the majority of cargo transported consists of epidemic prevention supplies, general goods, and daily necessities, which have not only boosted confidence of European nations in fighting the virus, but also ensured the smooth operation of global supply chains.