Stanford-le-Hope, United Kingdom: The first-ever freight train from Britain to China, laden with whisky, soft drinks and baby products, started its mammoth journey on Monday along a modern-day "Silk Road" trade route.
The 32-container train, around 600 metres long, left from the vast London Gateway container port on the River Thames estuary, bound for Yiwu on the Chinese east coast.
It was seen off on its 18-day, 12,000-kilometre journey with a string quartet, British and Chinese flags, and speeches voicing hope that it will cement a new golden age of trade between the two countries as the UK leaves the European Union.
The rail route is cheaper than air freight and faster than sea freight, offering logistics companies a new middle option.
The train will go through the Channel Tunnel before travelling across France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan before heading into China.
The containers switch back to standard gauge rails at the Chinese border, an operation that typically takes around two hours.
"Restoring the ancient Silk Road as a means by which China, north Europe and now the UK can exchange goods is an important and exciting initiative.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The 32-container train, around 600 metres long, left from the vast London Gateway container port on the River Thames estuary, bound for Yiwu on the Chinese east coast.
It was seen off on its 18-day, 12,000-kilometre journey with a string quartet, British and Chinese flags, and speeches voicing hope that it will cement a new golden age of trade between the two countries as the UK leaves the European Union.
The rail route is cheaper than air freight and faster than sea freight, offering logistics companies a new middle option.
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The train will go through the Channel Tunnel before travelling across France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan before heading into China.
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The containers switch back to standard gauge rails at the Chinese border, an operation that typically takes around two hours.
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"Restoring the ancient Silk Road as a means by which China, north Europe and now the UK can exchange goods is an important and exciting initiative.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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