BEIJING -- China-Europe freight train trips have taken a robust growth momentum since the start of 2021, with the total number surging 32 percent year-on-year to reach 10,030 by the end of August, data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd showed Thursday.

During the period, the freight trains carried approximately 964,000 20-foot equivalent unit containers of goods, growing 40 percent from the same period in 2020.

This was the sixteenth straight month that trips made by China-Europe freight trains had exceeded 1,000, said the company, adding that the total number of train trips has surpassed 10,000 two months earlier than last year.

So far, the China-Europe freight trains traveling along 73 routes have reached more than 170 cities in 23 European countries. The train services also provided transport support for the economic and social development in countries and regions along the Belt and Road.