ZHENGZHOU -- A transcontinental freight-train route between Zhengzhou, Central China, and Hamburg, Germany, has become increasingly more popular since it launched in July 2013, according to the operator.

Trains carry around 42 fully-loaded containers to and from Europe twice a week. Japan and the Republic of Korea also started to use the service this year.

Until July, there was only two trains to Europe and one back every week, said Zhao Wenming, general manager of the Zhengzhou inland port company, the operator of the service.

By June, the route had seen an accumulative load of 69,000 tons travel along its tracks, with a value of $760 million, he said.

Exported Chinese goods include furniture, electronic products, garments and machinery. Imported items are mainly autos and parts, beer, wine and other food.

The China-Europe cargo trains from Zhengzhou pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland before reaching Germany.