Beijing is using railway lines for freight transport in urban areas to reduce truck emissions and ease traffic.

A 50-car train carrying 3,200 tonnes of gravel arrived at a freight station in Dahongmen in Fengtai District Tuesday afternoon, marking inauguration of the project.

The gravel, delivered from Tangshan City in neighboring Hebei Province, was sent to a contractor as construction material, said Zhang Jinchao, deputy general manager with the Jingtie Logistics, an affiliated company of China Railway Beijing Group.

Zhang said daily frequency would be increased to 10 trains, which means 1,000 heavy trucks will be saved from running on the road every day.

"Containers were adopted during the transport, which not only reduced dust pollution during loading and unloading, but also increased loading efficiency," Zhang said.

He said the trains would be used to carry iron and steel, construction material, as well as life supplies.

Beijing is known for its traffic jams and air pollution, with vehicles, especially heavy trucks, a major contributor of air pollutants.