A new route has been forged between China and the UK as the first Beijing to London freight train began its journey on Sunday.
The direct rail freight service to London is the first such link between the two countries.
After 18 days covering more than 12,000 kilometres of track, the freight will end up in Barking Rail Freight Terminal in east London but not before traversing Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France.
Some of the time required for the journey is taken by the need to reload all the containers onto different trains at various stops due to different railway gauges.
The journey is not wholly new as it reincarnates aspects of the old Silk Road created by merchant caravans as early as 200BC in order to transport silk and other merchandise to Europe.
In its heyday, paper, gunpowder, porcelain and spices entered the west while horses, wool rugs and blankets, gold, silver and glass went to China.
Modern China in its efforts to get present-day goods to Europe has already forged freight routes to parts of Europe on what it calls the New Silk Route.
The first cargo train to Hamburg, Germany arrived in 2013 followed the next year by the first to Madrid. The latter is one of the world’s longest rail service, ahead even of the Moscow-Vladivostok trans-Siberian passenger route. The journey from Spain delivers wine and olive oil to China.
London will become the 15th city in Europe to have direct freight by rail with China.
The new route presents a new option for merchants as sending goods by air is costly and by sea can take 30 days. The first shipment to the UK contains clothing, an assortment of household items, bags and – appropriately enough – suitcases.
The initiative, begun in 2013, is part of President Xi Jinping’s efforts to strengthen trade ties. The plan put transport links at the centre of efforts to create a modern Silk Road and boost commerce with markets across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
China has initially budgeted some $40 billion to finance roads and railways abroad under President Xi’s strategy.
It also has announced plans to spend about $503 billion upgrading the country’s national railway system by 2020. This includes a high-speed network covering more than 30,000 kilometres connecting about 80% of the country’s major cities.
