A rail-sea intermodal train operated by Pacific International Lines Ltd departs from Yiwu West Railway Station on Oct 20. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

A freight train carrying 100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods, including auto parts, clothing, and toys, departed from Yiwu West Railway Station for Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on Oct 20.

It was the first rail-sea intermodal train operated by Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Ltd. After its initial launch in Yiwu, the train will operate once per week, according to officials.

Since the beginning of this year, a total of 61,000 TEUs of outbound cargo have been sent by rail-sea intermodal trains from Yiwu to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent. The number of rail-sea intermodal trains operating in Yiwu also saw an increase to an average of four trains each day.

With a special service for rail-sea intermodal trains provided by the Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, cross-border e-commerce goods released by Yiwu Customs at the Yiwu West Station can be sent abroad by sea without any additional customs clearance procedures at the Zhoushan Port, cutting shipping time by two to three days.