The first train carrying freight containers from China to Afghanistan left the eastern Chinese city of Nantong on Aug 25.

The train will leave China through the Alataw Pass in Xinjiang. It will then pass through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before arriving in Hairatan, a border town and a port in the north of Afghanistan.

Two trains are scheduled each month. The new railway route is part of efforts to improve logistics linking nations under the “Belt and Road” Initiative.