The first Britain-bound freight train from China arrived in London on Wednesday, completing an 18-day trip across two continents to deliver containers of clothing and household goods from the eastern Chinese trading hub of Yiwu, dpa reported. Pulled by a Deutsche Bahn locomotive, the train rolled in to a ceremony in the east London suburb of Barking after a 12,000-kilometre journey from the coast of China through seven countries and the Channel Tunnel between France and Britain. Darren Rodwell, council leader of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, said it was "great to be welcoming in the first freight train from China to the UK." Cheaper than air freight and faster than shipping, rail service could boost Britain's trade with China - a nation that the government plans to expand economic links with after it leaves the EU single market. London is the 15th European city served by direct rail freight services from Yiwu under an initiative dubbed a "New Silk Road" by the Chinese government. Yiwu is a city of vast wholesale markets, housing 58,000 Chinese suppliers of nearly 2,000 categories of goods, according to the local government. Its traders sell everything from building supplies, clothing and consumer electronics to cosmetics, toys and Christmas decorations. The first direct service from Yiwu to Europe was launched to Madrid in 2014, adding to a pair of routes to Germany. The China Railway Corporation said 1,702 freight trains left China for Europe last year, double the 2015 total, Chinese media reported.
