Containers full of British goods are on their way to China after the departure of the first UK to China export train from DP World London Gateway.
The train will make the 7500 mile, three-week-long journey, from South Essex to Yiwu in the Zhejiang province in eastern China. Products on board include soft drinks, vitamins, pharmaceuticals and baby products.
Container operator OneTwoThree Logistics is overseeing the transportation and booking of cargo for the UK/China rail freight trains, in conjunction with Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment Co, which is running the service with China Railway Container.
The inaugural export train departed for Asia just under three months after the first ever import train from China arrived in the UK. The service is part of China’s One Belt, One Road programme – reviving the ancient Silk Road trading routes to the west.
The train service is cheaper and less restrictive than air freight and faster than going by sea.
Greg Hands, Minister of State in the Department for International Trade (DIT), said: “This shows the huge global demand for quality UK goods and is a great step for DP World’s £1.5 billion London Gateway Port as it also welcomes its first regular container ships from Asia.”
Xubin Feng, Chairman of Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment Co, said that this was just the start of a regular direct service between the UK and China. Expressing his faith in the UK as an export nation, he said that rail provides an excellent alternative for moving large volumes of goods over long distances faster.
