The first rail freight service from the UK to China has departed on its 17-day, 7,500-mile journey.British goods including soft drinks, vitamins and baby products are in the 30 containers carried by the train, which will be a regular service. 
The DP World locomotive left its terminal in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, for Zhejiang province, eastern China, reported BBC.After going through the Channel Tunnel, the train will pass through seven other countries before arriving on 27 April. They are France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. 
The operators say it is cheaper to send goods by train than by air and faster than by sea. 'Significant occasion' The service is part of China's "one belt, one road" programme aimed at reviving the ancient Silk Road trading routes with the West, dating back more than 2,000 years. The first rail freight service in the opposite direction, from China to the UK, arrived three months ago.

Source: QNA