German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn said Thursday it planned to significantly ramp up cargo transport to China following a record year, using the world's longest train line in a modern-day revival of the Silk Road route. More than 40,000 containers were transported between the two countries in 2016, up from 35,000 a year earlier and "the largest volume of goods" moved on the iron link so far, Deutsche Bahn (DB) said in a statement.

"This is a good basis from which to increase the number of containers to about 100,000 by 2020," DB board member Ronald Pofalla said. The trans-Eurasian rail stretch spans a distance of 10,000 to 12,000 kilometres (6,000-7,000 miles), passing through Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia before stopping at several Chinese cities.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2016