China to Spain by rail

From China to Spain by rail

9 December 2014: The first direct rail freight service to operate between China and Spain arrived at ADIF’s Madrid Abroñigal intermodal terminal on December 9, welcomed by Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor. Carrying a total of 30 containers, the train had left Yiwu in China on November 18, covering 13 000 km in 21 days.

The route via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France involved a change of gauge at three border crossings, as well as locomotive changes approximately every 800 km. The service was operated by InterRail Services and DB Schenker Rail, with DB’s Spanish subsidiary Transfesa providing traction on the final leg to Madrid.

Mumbai to Moscow intermodal freight arrives

20 October 2016: The first containers to be transported on the newly-established north–south freight corridor from Mumbai to Moscow arrived at the Vorsino freight terminal southwest of the Russian capital on October 12, 23 days after leaving India.

The containers were loaded onto a ship in Mumbai on September 20, and travelled by sea to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran then transported the containers by rail to Rasht, where they were transferred to lorries for the 180 km leg to Astara in Azerbaijan; a 167 km rail link from Rasht to Astara is currently under construction. The containers then moved by rail from Astara to Vorsino.

First China to UK rail freight service arrives in London

First China to UK rail freight service arrives in London

18 January 2017: The first demonstration rail freight service carrying textiles and other consumer goods from China to the UK arrived at the London Eurohub terminal in Barking just after 13.00 on January 18, having left Yiwu Xi station in eastern China’s Zhejiang province on January 1.

The inaugural train is expected to be followed by weekly services for three or four months to assess customer demand.

China - Iran container train

5 February 2016: What is described as the first container train service between China and Iran was launched on January 28, when a train carrying ‘small commodities’ departed from Yiwu for Tehran.

The 10 399 km journey via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with two breaks of gauge is scheduled to take 14 days, around half the journey time by sea.

China to London rail freight service launched

4 January 2017: An inaugural freight service carrying containers between China and the UK is scheduled to arrive at Barking in east London on January 18, having left Yiwu Xi station in eastern China’s Zhejiang province on January 1.

The service is being organised by Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment Co, which has offered a service from China to Duisburg in Germany and Madrid in Spain since 2015. The UK is the eighth country and London the 15th city to be added to the company’s China – Europe rail network. The Chinese company’s UK agent is One Two Three Logistics, which is being supported by Brunel Project Cargo.

India won second ODI

India vs England, 2nd ODI: Yuvraj, Dhoni blast tons as India clinch series

20 January 2017: Eoin Morgan gave India a mighty scare with a counterattacking century before the hosts pulled off a close 15-run win in the second ODI and clinch the series in Cuttack's Barabati Stadium on Thursday. Yet another run- fest saw 747 runs being scored in 100 overs on a belter of a track as England fought hard to stay alive. Chasing 382, they came quite close but finished on 366/8, handing India a 2-0 series win with a game to spare.