A freight train left Chongqing's Tuanjetsun station for Afghanistan's Hairaton city on Monday morning, marking the launch of the first direct rail route connecting the named metropolis in southwest China with Afghanistan.The train carrying 55 containers of communications equipment manufactured by Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE will cross the state border at Khorgos checkpoint in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region /Northwest China/ and reach its destination in Hairaton through the territories of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The entire journey is expected to take 12-15 days.The transported cargo will reportedly be used to support the construction of Afghanistan's local communication networks in order to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.“With the direct rail freight scheme, transportation time will be reduced by 3-5 days compared to road transportation and logistics costs are expected to be reduced by 15-20 percent. It will strengthen the safety and efficiency of transportation and delivery of goods,” said ZTE official Liu Jianfeng.So far, more than 18,000 freight trains have been dispatched from and to Chongqing on China-Europe/China-Central Asia international rail freight routes, according to local authorities.The successful opening of the direct freight route will further strengthen trade and economic cooperation and exchanges between Chongqing and Afghanistan, as well as with other Central Asian countries, said the person in charge of the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Supply Chain Management Company.