China Sends New Freight Train Down to Iran

A freight train service from Bayannur city in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Tehran, Iran’s capital, was launched on Thursday morning.
“The train, carrying 1,150 tons of sunflower seeds, will travel 8,352 kilometers through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, arriving in Tehran in 15 days,” said Chen Bo, deputy manager of the Hohhot office of China Railway.
The new train route will shorten transportation time by at least 20 days compared with ocean shipping, Xinhuanet reported.
Bayannur is China’ biggest sunflower seed production hub. The city exports about 180,000 tons of sunflower seeds annually, with 90% of them headed for Middle Eastern, European and US markets.
Agricultural products from the city have been exported to more than 80 countries and regions, and its export volume has reached $420 million.