A new sea-railway combined cargo train, carrying Taiwan-imported containers, sets off from Jiangyin Port in Fuqing county, Fujian province, on Nov 3. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

A new sea-railway combined cargo train, carrying Taiwan-imported containers transshipped from Aoqian Port in Pingtan county, set off from Jiangyin Port in Fuqing county, Fujian province, on Nov 3 for Hamburg, Germany.

The containers were shipped from Taiwan by Haixia, a high-speed passenger ferry linking Pingtan and the city of Taichung in Taiwan, and will be delivered to Hamburg in about 20 days. The route of 11,000 kilometers will traverse Kazakhstan, Russia, the Republic of Belarus, Poland and Germany.

Route of the new sea-railway combined cargo train [Photo/ptnet.cn]

This newly-established route connects Taiwan with European countries via Pingtan, linking the ancient Silk Road with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In line with the national Belt and Road Initiative, the route is designed to help both Pingtan and Taiwan enter the international market.

Local transportation authorities said the train will get approval from the China Railway Corp for regular operation if this trial operation is successful. Then the authorities plan to develop more routes to cover 20 provinces, 10 Central and West Asian countries, and 28 European countries. At that time, Pingtan will be in a pivotal position as a window to both Taiwan and Europe.