LANZHOU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A train carrying 261 vehicles on Friday left Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, for Almaty in Kazakhstan, marking the start of an auto export logistics center construction project.

The train will travel outbound via the port of Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is expected to arrive in Almaty in 12 days.

The logistics distribution center will be a hub for vehicles produced across China for export via China-Europe freight trains, said Zhang Zheng, an official with the International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou).

Zhang said construction of the center will help attract service trade enterprises to settle and establish a complete auto export distribution supply chain system via auto and part collection from other parts of China and their transportation.

The International Land Port of Gansu (Lanzhou) is an important international logistics hub for Belt and Road cooperation. In recent years, it has seized the opportunity of auto export, and has formed a mature full-process automobile service industry chain spanning vehicle inspection, customs declaration, logistics and transportation.