China-Europe freight train "Shanghai Express" is seen in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

Shanghai on Wednesday launched its first China-Europe cargo train of 2023, bound for several stops in Central Asia, local customs authorities said.

The freight train carried 100 TEUs of goods, such as elevators, medical equipment, and auto parts, with a total weight of more than 880 tonnes and a total value of 18.7 million yuan (about 2.76 million U.S. dollars).

Shanghai launched its first China-Europe freight train in September 2021.

In 2022, Shanghai handled 53 China-Europe cargo trains, loaded with over 5,000 TEUs of goods with a total weight of 40,000 tonnes and worth 1.3 billion yuan.