CHONGQING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- A freight train, loaded with communication equipment and other products, departed from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday and is expected to arrive in Afghanistan in 12 to 15 days.

This marked the inauguration of a new direct freight train route, which passes through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries, between Chongqing and Afghanistan.

The communication equipment aboard the train, manufactured by Chinese telecom firm ZTE, will be used in the development of local communication networks in Afghanistan.

"Via direct freight train services, the transportation duration has been reduced by three to five days compared to previous road transport, and logistics costs are expected to be cut back by 15 to 20 percent," said Liu Jianfeng with ZTE.

"The successful launch of the direct freight train from Chongqing to Afghanistan marks another effort in deepening our economic and trade cooperation with Central Asian countries," said Xu Runqiu, an executive at the Yuxin'ou (Chongqing) supply chain management company.

In recent years, Chongqing has been striving to elevate itself into a comprehensive inland hub, with the number of China-Europe freight trains and those heading to Central Asian countries departing from the city, along with cargo volumes, growing.

To date, more than 18,000 trains covering over 50 regular routes linking the city with European and Central Asian countries have been dispatched, reaching over 100 hub cities and regions across Asia and Europe.

In March 2011, the China-Europe freight train (Yuxin'ou) service was launched from Chongqing to Duisburg, establishing a direct overland trade corridor between China and Europe.