Yiwu–London railway line
Yiwu–London railway line | |
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The Yiwu–London railway line is a
From Yiwu, a trading center 300 km south of
Break-of-gauge
Two
Travel time
Despite the need to go through two bogie exchanges and/or cargo transloading, the trip takes only 18 days to complete. In comparison, it takes a large cargo vessel about 30–45 days of sailing to get from East Asia to Northern Europe.[1]
Trains are run by different companies. To start with, trains depart for London once a week transporting household items, garments, bags and suitcases. The media has perceived the route as a publicity stunt, as household items and clothing do not require the expedited shipping.[1]
The Yiwu–London railway project is part of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping's "One Belt, One Road" policy, which attempts to strengthen the country's trade connections and revive the Silk Road of the past.
Politics
While the physical manifestation of and the need for the Silk Road may have eroded over the years due to the collapse of the
While the
The Yiwu–London route opened just as Britain was looking outside of Europe to expand its trade, as it is unclear how
The China-Madrid railway line has experienced success by transporting olive oil back to China and it is expected that in order to become as successful, the China-London route will need to establish a similar export flow. The export flow will most likely consist of British designer goods, providing an opportunity for companies to expand to Chinese markets.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Why China launched a freight train to London via Kazakhstan and Russia", Russia Beyond the Headlines, 13 January 2017
- ^ "All aboard the China-to-London freight train". BBC News. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Longest, fastest, busiest: 15 record-breaking railways" Telegraph.co.uk, 13 December 2016
- ^ "Silk Road freight train from China arrives in Barking", BBC, 18 January 2017
- ^ "China-UK freight train arrives in London". BBC News. 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ Shepard, Wade (2016-01-28), "Why The China-Europe 'Silk Road' Rail Network Is Growing Fast", Forbes
- ^ "Getting lost in One Belt, One Road", ejinsight, 12 April 2016
- ^ "Our bulldozers, our rules", The Economist, 2 July 2016
- ^ Walker, Peter; Asthana, Anushka; Stewart, Heather (29 March 2017). "May triggers article 50 with warning of consequence for UK". the Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Trade and Investment Factsheets: China" (PDF). 21 March 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "First direct train service from China to the UK arrives in London", Independent, 18 January 2017
- ^ "First China-UK freight train departs as Xi seeks to lift trade", Bloomberg, 2 January 2017