From toothbrushes to cars, the express freight trains in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, can help people deliver parcels to 1,100 freight stations across the county.

"By railway, my goods can be transported to Manchuria the next day with a freight charge of 5,000 yuan ($817), shortening the travel time to one day and saving me 3,000 yuan in express fees from motor carriers,” said a customer weighing his parcels at Harbin East Railway Freight Station.

People can get their goods picked-up at home by submitting orders at the website http://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/ or through the hotline 12306.

To meet the growing demands of small pieces of delivery business, Harbin railway opened its small freight business to the public on Sept 15. It transported 2.6 million parcels in the first month.

As many senior citizens like flying to Hainan province with hometown food to stay away from the cold winter in Harbin, the railway can help to deliver their packages to Haikou, capital of Hainan province, at a charge of 891 yuan per ton. This means people can get 50 kg of rice transported to Haikou at a payment of 45 yuan, or 55 yuan if they want a delivery man to pick parcels up from their home.