A Malaysia-bound freight train from Chongqing recently arrived in Padang Besar, Malaysia, marking the official opening of the first rail-to-rail multimodal transportation route.

The international rail service of the freight train, mainly loaded with industrial spare parts manufactured in Chongqing, was organized by Yuxinou (Chongqing) Logistics Co. The cargo departed from Chongqing's Tuanjiecun Railway Station and headed for Vientiane, Laos, via the China-Laos Railway, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. It traversed Thailand before finally reaching Padang Besar near the Malaysia-Thailand border.

The whole journey took 13 days to complete and saved more than 40 percent of the time required by the traditional Chongqing-Shanghai-Penang river-sea route, according to the company.

"The operation of the new route has not only enriched the logistics route diversity between Chongqing and Malaysia but also helps bring down transport time and costs," said company staff member Gao Chenglin.

Customized services including delivery service for local customers, are also provided, the company said.