48:
365:
447:). Since then several other European cities have established railway freight connections with China on the network. London is the latest European city to establish such a freight route when the Yiwu–London route opened in January 2017. It is expected that the importance of the railway trade routes will increase with time, as anticipated cumulative investment over an indefinite timescale for the One Belt, One Road policy is estimated to be between 4 and 8 trillion US dollars.
68:
387:
and advances in technology, Chinese leader Xi
Jinping's "One Belt, One Road" policy has breathed new life into trade of goods by land. The initiative calls for integration of the countries that make up the ancient Silk Road into a robust economic area. The integration will take place through building
470:
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
462:
in March 2017, officially starting the Brexit negotiations. Although total trade between the UK and China increased by £41 billion between 2017 and 2022, it is unknown whether the increase in trade is a direct consequence of the Yiwu–London railway route. Both governments hope that it will help
337:
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.
219:. The route was opened on 1 January 2017, making London the 15th European city to have a railway route connection with China, and takes 18 days to complete (other European cities with China-Europe railway routes include
463:
strengthen trade between the two countries, but the service was only scheduled to run once a week for a few months in order to assess demand. If successful, the rail link could be made permanent.
388:
infrastructure for broadening trade, and increasing cultural exchanges. One Belt, One Road calls for three distinct routes to be established: north, central and south. The north route goes through
435:
officially traveling along the entire north route. However, it is only since July 2011 that the railway route has been used for regular transport when a freight route was established between
342:
700:
641:
695:
705:
480:
459:
326:
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
616:
306:
in
Kazakhstan, and second back to standard gauge when crossing from Belarus to Poland. Because of the difference in gauges, trains go through
203:, covering a distance of roughly 12,000 km (7,500 miles). This makes it the second longest railway freight route in the world after the
444:
383:
While the physical manifestation of and the need for the Silk Road may have eroded over the years due to the collapse of the
467:
204:
504:"Why China launched a freight train to London via Kazakhstan and Russia", Russia Beyond the Headlines, 13 January 2017
690:
450:
The Yiwu–London route opened just as
Britain was looking outside of Europe to expand its trade, as it is unclear how
207:, which spans 12,874 km (8,046 miles). It is one of several long-distance freight railway routes from China to
349:
212:
424:
416:
364:
583:
Shepard, Wade (2016-01-28), "Why The China-Europe 'Silk Road' Rail
Network Is Growing Fast", Forbes
665:"First direct train service from China to the UK arrives in London", Independent, 18 January 2017
674:"First China-UK freight train departs as Xi seeks to lift trade", Bloomberg, 2 January 2017
539:"Longest, fastest, busiest: 15 record-breaking railways" Telegraph.co.uk, 13 December 2016
331:
283:
184:
60:
405:
384:
352:" policy, which attempts to strengthen the country's trade connections and revive the
323:
307:
299:
295:
282:
between France and the UK. The London end of the route is located at the DB Eurohub in
279:
200:
141:
73:
684:
419:
was completed in 1990, when the railway systems of China and
Kazakhstan connected at
401:
303:
170:
409:
397:
389:
372:
311:
455:
420:
112:
376:
345:
247:
548:"Silk Road freight train from China arrives in Barking", BBC, 18 January 2017
514:
436:
393:
379:
during the inauguration of the railway line in Warsaw, Poland, 20 June 2016.
353:
327:
228:
216:
558:
440:
432:
239:
428:
392:, Russia and then Europe. The central route goes through Central Asia,
267:
263:
255:
220:
451:
368:
271:
259:
251:
232:
224:
208:
196:
615:
Walker, Peter; Asthana, Anushka; Stewart, Heather (29 March 2017).
363:
243:
192:
53:
188:
40:
592:"Getting lost in One Belt, One Road", ejinsight, 12 April 2016
617:"May triggers article 50 with warning of consequence for UK"
275:
454:
will affect UK trade with Europe. British Prime
Minister
278:. In order to get to the UK the route passes through the
412:. The Yiwu–London train is part of the north route.
111:
106:
88:
83:
33:
28:
23:
238:From Yiwu, a trading center 300 km south of
343:General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
515:"All aboard the China-to-London freight train"
500:
498:
496:
423:, it was first in October 2008 that the first
8:
481:Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
341:The Yiwu–London railway project is part of
559:"China-UK freight train arrives in London"
16:Freight railway route from China to the UK
642:"Trade and Investment Factsheets: China"
242:, the route passes through 9 countries:
215:" and part of establishing a modern-day
492:
20:
701:International railway lines in Europe
7:
696:International railway lines in Asia
322:Despite the need to go through two
314:to railcars of the correct gauge.
14:
445:Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway
66:
46:
404:. The south route goes through
298:exist on the route: first from
706:China–United Kingdom relations
1:
601:"Our bulldozers, our rules",
146:Kazakhstan-Belarus section:
471:expand to Chinese markets.
722:
468:China-Madrid railway line
213:New Eurasian Land Bridge
205:Yiwu–Madrid railway line
181:Yiwu–London railway line
24:Yiwu–London railway line
425:Trans-Eurasia Logistics
380:
367:
94:; 7 years ago
417:Eurasian Land Bridge
375:and China's leader
310:or have containers
92:1 January 2017
691:Transport in China
381:
350:One Belt, One Road
521:. 18 January 2017
177:
176:
713:
675:
672:
666:
663:
657:
656:
654:
652:
646:
638:
632:
631:
629:
627:
612:
606:
599:
593:
590:
584:
581:
575:
574:
572:
570:
555:
549:
546:
540:
537:
531:
530:
528:
526:
511:
505:
502:
173:
167:
165:
164:
160:
157:
149:
144:
138:
136:
135:
131:
128:
120:
102:
100:
95:
76:
72:
70:
69:
56:
52:
50:
49:
21:
721:
720:
716:
715:
714:
712:
711:
710:
681:
680:
679:
678:
673:
669:
664:
660:
650:
648:
647:. 21 March 2024
644:
640:
639:
635:
625:
623:
614:
613:
609:
600:
596:
591:
587:
582:
578:
568:
566:
557:
556:
552:
547:
543:
538:
534:
524:
522:
513:
512:
508:
503:
494:
489:
477:
443:, Germany (the
362:
332:Northern Europe
324:bogie exchanges
320:
296:breaks of gauge
292:
286:, East London.
185:freight railway
169:
162:
158:
155:
153:
152:4 ft
151:
147:
145:
140:
133:
129:
126:
124:
123:4 ft
122:
118:
117:Primary gauge:
98:
96:
93:
79:
67:
65:
64:
47:
45:
44:
17:
12:
11:
5:
719:
717:
709:
708:
703:
698:
693:
683:
682:
677:
676:
667:
658:
633:
607:
594:
585:
576:
550:
541:
532:
506:
491:
490:
488:
485:
484:
483:
476:
473:
427:train reached
406:Southeast Asia
385:Safavid Empire
361:
358:
319:
316:
308:bogie exchange
300:standard gauge
291:
290:Break-of-gauge
288:
280:Channel Tunnel
201:United Kingdom
175:
174:
142:standard gauge
115:
109:
108:
104:
103:
90:
86:
85:
81:
80:
78:
77:
74:United Kingdom
57:
37:
35:
31:
30:
26:
25:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
718:
707:
704:
702:
699:
697:
694:
692:
689:
688:
686:
671:
668:
662:
659:
643:
637:
634:
622:
618:
611:
608:
605:, 2 July 2016
604:
603:The Economist
598:
595:
589:
586:
580:
577:
564:
560:
554:
551:
545:
542:
536:
533:
520:
516:
510:
507:
501:
499:
497:
493:
486:
482:
479:
478:
474:
472:
469:
464:
461:
457:
453:
448:
446:
442:
439:, China, and
438:
434:
430:
426:
422:
418:
413:
411:
407:
403:
402:Mediterranean
399:
395:
391:
386:
378:
374:
371:'s President
370:
366:
359:
357:
356:of the past.
355:
351:
347:
344:
339:
335:
333:
329:
325:
317:
315:
313:
309:
305:
304:Russian gauge
301:
297:
289:
287:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
241:
236:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
172:
171:Russian gauge
148:1,520 mm
143:
119:1,435 mm
116:
114:
110:
105:
91:
87:
82:
75:
62:
58:
55:
42:
39:
38:
36:
32:
27:
22:
19:
670:
661:
649:. Retrieved
636:
624:. Retrieved
621:the Guardian
620:
610:
602:
597:
588:
579:
567:. Retrieved
562:
553:
544:
535:
523:. Retrieved
518:
509:
465:
449:
414:
410:Indian Ocean
398:Persian Gulf
390:Central Asia
382:
373:Andrzej Duda
340:
336:
321:
302:in China to
293:
237:
180:
178:
59:DB Eurohub,
18:
456:Theresa May
421:Alataw Pass
408:and to the
318:Travel time
312:transloaded
187:route from
113:Track gauge
685:Categories
569:9 November
525:8 February
487:References
460:Article 50
458:triggered
415:While the
377:Xi Jinping
346:Xi Jinping
248:Kazakhstan
99:2017-01-01
437:Chongqing
394:West Asia
354:Silk Road
328:East Asia
235:, etc.).
229:Rotterdam
217:Silk Road
107:Technical
626:19 April
563:BBC News
519:BBC News
475:See also
441:Duisburg
433:Xiangtan
400:and the
360:Politics
240:Shanghai
211:on the "
166: in
137: in
29:Overview
651:8 April
429:Hamburg
284:Barking
268:Belgium
264:Germany
256:Belarus
221:Hamburg
161:⁄
132:⁄
97: (
84:History
61:Barking
34:Termini
565:. 2017
452:Brexit
369:Poland
272:France
260:Poland
252:Russia
233:Warsaw
225:Madrid
209:Europe
197:London
89:Opened
71:
51:
645:(PDF)
431:from
348:'s "
244:China
195:, to
193:China
183:is a
54:China
653:2024
628:2018
571:2017
527:2022
466:The
294:Two
189:Yiwu
179:The
41:Yiwu
330:to
687::
619:.
561:.
517:.
495:^
396:,
334:.
276:UK
274:,
270:,
266:,
262:,
258:,
254:,
250:,
246:,
231:,
227:,
223:,
199:,
191:,
168:)
163:32
159:27
154:11
139:)
63:,
43:,
655:.
630:.
573:.
529:.
156:+
150:(
134:2
130:1
127:+
125:8
121:(
101:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.