HOHHOT -- A total of 6,072 China-Europe freight trains have passed through the border port of Erenhot in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region since 2013, according to the local customs.

The trains carried about 4.82 million tons of goods worth over 90 billion yuan (about $13.94 billion), said Erenhot customs, which has been handling China-Europe freight trains since 2013.

In 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a record-high number of 2,379 trains passed through the port, an increase of 53.3 percent year-on-year.

Initiated in 2011, the China-Europe cargo rail transport service is considered a significant component of the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting trade between China and countries participating in the program. Amid the pandemic, the service remains a reliable transportation channel.

Erenhot Port is the only railway port between China and Mongolia, and there are 44 China-Europe freight train routes passing through the port.