URUMQI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe train departed Thursday from Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, loaded with walnuts from a variety of places in the region.

It was the first China-Europe train to resume operations in Xinjiang after the Spring Festival. It will reach the Turkish port of Mersin.

"We collected the walnuts from southern Xinjiang before the Spring Festival, but we delayed sending them because of the novel coronavirus," said Liu Gang, a local business manager. "Demand is huge, and we have sufficient supplies."

Following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), railway authorities contacted local companies and railway and customs authorities along the route to ensure smooth transportation, said local official Mao Leiming.

"The China-Europe train services can meet demand," Mao said.