China Railway Express

The Turkish railways have posted record figures in freight and passenger transportation for 2019, the country's transport minister said.

The total passenger numbers through Turkey's railways reached 149.8 million, said Cahit Turhan on Feb. 25.

The number of passengers travelled through high-speed trains grew 2 percent year-on-year to 8.3 million in 2019, he said.

The first Chinese freight train traveling the China Railway Express line from Xi'an, China to Europe crossed under Istanbul's Bosporus Strait on Nov. 7 morning after setting off from Ankara a day earlier.

China’s northeast city Changchun saw its first freight train depart to Hamburg, Germany, on Friday.

The trip will take 12 to 15 days at the maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour, according to a local official.