A China-Europe freight train loaded with Chinese-brand vehicles waits for departure at the Harbin international container center station in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on April 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

　　BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China-Europe freight train services saw solid growth from January to May this year, with the transport capacity and efficiency continuously rising.

　　The number of China-Europe freight train services increased by 16 percent year on year to 7,126 trips in the first five months of the year, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

　　Some 774,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) of goods were transported via the freight trains during this period, up 31 percent from a year ago, the company said.

　　In May alone, the number of China-Europe freight train trips increased 13 percent year on year to 1,515. The trains transported about 165,000 TEU of goods, marking an increase of 29 percent from a year ago.

　　As of the end of May, the freight train services had reached 213 cities in 25 European countries.