From Yiwu to Madrid: World's longest rail link

World
Europe

08:50

An international freight railway network is connecting China to cities across Europe, dubbed the new "Silk Railroad." Two thousand years ago, commodities from China would need a year to reach Europe, along the ancient Silk Road. But today, Chinese consumer goods can reach London by rail in just 14 days.

CGTN Photo

In Yiwu, located in east China's Zhejiang Province, it once took Europe-bound goods two hours by driving just to reach the nearest seaport, followed by a two-month journey across the oceans. But today, a new freight rail link connects Yiwu to Europe along an ancient Silk Road trade route.

Yiwu railway station - a massive freight terminus, began transporting cargoes overland to Europe in 2014. It's part of the multi-billion-US-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to boost international trade.

CGTN Photo

The Yiwu-Madrid railway is the longest rail link in the world. It spreads across 13,000-kilometers through France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Along the way, the train transfers three times due to different track gauges in China, Europe, and Russia.

CGTN Photo

With transfers only taking one minute per container, the rail link cut Europe-China transportation time by half, and goods now take only three weeks to arrive compared with six weeks by sea. Now, foreign products are more accessible to and affordable for Chinese people.