LANZHOU - This year's first freight train from Northwest China's Gansu province to Central Asia was flagged off on Saturday, according to local transport authorities.

The train carrying 1,300 tonnes of cargo including garments and suitcases was assembled in the provincial capital of Lanzhou for unified delivery from Yiwu, Ningbo, Shanghai and other regions through railway.

The cargo train is expected to arrive in Kazakhstan's Almaty in seven days after traveling more than 2,700 km, according to the China Railway Lanzhou Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

The company has signed cooperation agreements on cargo transportation with enterprises in Yiwu and other regions vowing to assemble more high-quality goods in Lanzhou and ship them to Central Asia.