URUMQI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A major rail port in northwest China saw its freight volume reach 7.23 million tonnes in the first four months of 2018, up 9.4 percent year on year, the port's administrative office said Thursday.

Alataw Pass in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is among the most inland points on Earth and connects the East Asia economic rim and the European economic circle.

During the first four months of this year, imports via the pass reached 6.29 million tonnes, up 10 percent, while exports reached 947,000 tonnes, up 5.7 percent, according to the statistics from the administrative office.

"We saw a noticeable increase in the volume of goods transported by freight trains through the pass during the period," said Chu Chao, deputy director of the office.

Statistics show more than 797 China-Europe and China-Asia cargo trains travelled through the pass, carrying a total of 3.28 million tonnes of goods in the first four months, up 28.4 percent year on year.