China starts rail cargo link from Shanghai to London (Barking) – cheaper than air freight, faster than sea

Date added: 5 January, 2017

China has launched its first freight train to London, travelling from Yiwu West Railway Station in Zhejiang Province, Eastern China (near Shanghai) to Barking. The trip will take around 18 days to travel over 7,400 miles  (about 6,200 miles, as the crow flies).  The route runs through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France, on the way to London. The UK is the eighth country to be added to the China-Europe service, and London is the 15th city. There are hopes that it will strengthen China- UK ties.  The railway is a major strategic development to assist Xi Jinping’s multi-billion dollar ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy. The plan is to create a trade network connecting Asia with Africa and Europe along old Silk Road trading routes. There are currently 39 routes linking 16 Chinese cities to 12 European cities. The train to London carried a cargo of clothes, bags and other household items. In October a train arrived in Hamburg from China after a 13 day trip.  Its 45 containers carried consumer goods, furniture, clothes, lamps and electronics, which were then transported to various European cities. The trains returning to China have carried items such as German meat products, Russian woods and French wines. Transporting goods by rail is a much cheaper and lower carbon method than air freight via Heathrow, and faster than sea cargo.

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China launches freight train to Britain

The train is part of an initiative by Chinese leader Xi Jinping
The train is part of an initiative by Chinese leader Xi Jinping

China launched its first freight train to London on Sunday, according to the China Railway Corporation.

The train will travel from Yiwu West Railway Station in Zhejiang Province, Eastern China to Barking, London, taking 18 days to travel over 7,400 miles.

The route runs through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France, before arriving in London. The UK is the eighth country to be added to the China-Europe service, and London is the 15th city.

The railway is a major strategic development to assist Xi Jinping’s multi-billion dollar ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy, according to the China-Europe Freight Rail Development Plan released in October.

The strategy was launched in 2013 and is an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Africa and Europe along old Silk Road trading routes.

There are currently 39 routes linking 16 Chinese cities to 12 European cities.

Until June 2016, 1881 services had run from China to Europe and 502 had returned.

The returning journeys transported items such as German meat products, Russian woods and French wines.

The China Railway Corporation said the train to London will strengthen the connection between China and Western Europe and improve China-Britain trade ties.

China’s exports totalled $2.27 trillion in 2015, slowing down from $2.34 trillion in 2014.

Its economic growth slipped to 6.9 percent in 2015 from 7.3 percent in 2014, marking the slowest growth in 25 years.

The ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy is part of an effort to boost trade and economic growth.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/02/china-launches-freight-train-britain/

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‘China freight train’ in first trip to Barking

3.1.2017 (BBC)

China has launched a direct rail freight service to London, as part of its drive to develop trade and investment ties with Europe.

China Railway already runs services between China and other European cities, including Madrid and Hamburg.

The train will take about two weeks to cover the 12,000 mile journey and is carrying a cargo of clothes, bags and other household items. [Not the same times or distances as quoted by the Telegraph ….. actual distance is not as much as 12,000 miles …. error?  AW note] 

It has the advantage of being cheaper than air freight and faster than sea.

The first China-Europe Block Train for Madrid left Yiwu Railway Freight Station in November 2014

The proliferation of routes linking China and Europe is part of a strategy launched in 2013 aimed at boosting infrastructure links with Europe along the former Silk Road trading routes.

London will become the 15th European city to join what the Chinese government calls the New Silk Route.

The service will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany Belgium and France before arriving at Barking Rail Freight Terminal in East London, which is directly connected to the High Speed 1 rail line to the European mainland.

Because of the different railway gauges involved, a single train cannot travel the whole route and the containers need to be reloaded at various points.

The Chinese government is keen to boost its economy in the face of slowing export and economic growth.

Map showing route of the train 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38497997

 

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Full steam ahead for Xi’an-Hamburg freight train

10.10.2016

China Daily

A freight train bound for Hamburg, Germany departed the Xi’an International Trade and Logistics Park on Oct 1.

It is the second time the train has departed for the German city since the route launched on Sept 2. Another route bound for Warsaw, Poland was launched from the park in August.

The train’s 45 containers were loaded with consumer goods, furniture, clothes, lamps and electronics, and will arrive in Hamburg in 13 days. The products will then be transported to various European cities for sale.

The two Central European routes have proved to be efficient and economical since launching in the summer and have attracted attention from numerous companies hoping to transport their goods at an affordable rate. The frequent freight trains supplying the routes are expected to foster international trade and become a key intercontinental transport mode.

To complement the operation of the Xi’an-Hamburg freight train route, the logistics park will open offices in Frankfurt and Amsterdam. It is hoped the initiative will increase Xi’an’s global influence and support the common development of countries along the Silk Road.

Source: China Daily

http://english.cqnews.net/html/2016-10/10/content_38888490.htm

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Posted: Thursday, January 5th, 2017. Filed in Air Freight News, News about Airports, Recent News.