The first ever freight train service has been launched from China to London, with the first products already on their way. The weekly service departing from Yiwu in China, with an 18 day transit to East London, is expected to help bridge the gap between the longer transit times of ocean freight and the more expensive option of airfreight.

The service is part of a Chinese initiative to boost trade and relationships with Europe and London is the 15th European city to be linked to what is being dubbed the ‘New Silk Route’.  It is not possible for the same train to cover the entire journey due to different track configurations so there will need to at least one transfer during the transit. The service passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France before arriving in the UK.

Yiwu makes up part of the Zhejiang province of China and is located near to the East Coast and within 100 miles of the ports and cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou and Wenzhou.

The first arrival is due on the 18th January at Barking Rail Freight Terminal carrying 200 containers of retail goods and Uniserve staff will be there to  witness the historic event. So if you would like to find out more about the new service please contact your local Uniserve representative.

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