XIAMEN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A direct freight train service connecting east China's port city of Xiamen and Budapest, Hungary, started Monday.

At about 10 a.m., a train with 41 containers of electric products, clothes, shoes and construction materials left Haicang station in Xiamen, marking the first trip of the new route, said Zhao Liqiang, chief of the station.

Xiamen launched freight train services to Budapest via Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in January, with the new direct route cutting travel time of the original Xiamen-Xi'an-Budapest route by two to three days to 17 days.

The city has rail routes to five European countries, including Germany and Russia. Since services to Europe were launched in August 2015, 260 trains have been operated from Haicang station, delivering goods worth 4.6 billion yuan (695 million U.S. dollars) abroad.