FUZHOU, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A freight train loaded with 55 forty-foot equivalent unit containers of goods left the city of Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province on Friday for the Russian capital Moscow, marking the first trip of 2023 for Quanzhou-Moscow freight train service.

The goods include locally-made sanitary appliances, sports equipment and aluminum products, among other items, with a total weight of over 600 tonnes and a total value of around 17.5 million yuan (about 2.6 million U.S. dollars).

The train is scheduled to reach Moscow through the Xingguo-Quanzhou railway for the first time, saving 213 km distance and two days compared to the former route, according to Ding Daqiang, the deputy head of Huangtang railway station of Xingguo-Quanzhou railway.

The 10,700-km China-Europe freight train route links Quanzhou, an important starting point on the Maritime Silk Road, with the Russian capital, boosting the development of foreign trade in regions along the route.