A Chang'an China-Europe freight train leaves for Kazakhstan from Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, saw a surge in China-Europe freight-train trips in 2022, local authorities told a press conference on Thursday.

The Chang'an China-Europe freight-train service operated 4,639 train trips last year, up 20.8 percent year on year, and transported nearly 4.12 million tonnes of goods, an annual increase of 43.3 percent.

The city ranked first among Chinese cities operating the China-Europe freight service for the number of train trips, the cargo volume and the rate of heavy containers in 2022.

Since its launch in 2013, the Chang'an service has opened 17 cargo routes linking Xi'an with destinations in Asia and Europe, and has handled a total of 16,054 train trips.