Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it’s a freight train!

Last month an unusual train pulled into Barking Rail Freight Terminal in East London. The muscular-looking loco had begun its cross-country marathon at Yiwu station in eastern China. The 7,500-mile trek took in Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France.

But this was no Palin or Portilloesque sightseeing excursion. The on-board containers (some of which had been unloaded en route in Germany) were packed to the rafters with suitcases, clothes, household items and other goodies, and represent China’s drive to further develop business ties with Europe via the ancient silk road.

While the journey’s not without its inconveniences, like having to load containers onto new trains because of different rail gauges, it’s cheaper than shipping by air and faster than sending by sea. There’s some case for the environment too – cargo sent by rail emits less carbon dioxide than that sent by air, but neither are as eco-friendly as sea transportation.

The Barking destination is the latest in a series of new trade connections by China Railway – services already run between China and fifteen other European cities, including Madrid and Hamburg.

Train freight is a boon to many UK businesses. Tesco, for example, is making the most of it by having some products sent to Bratislava in Slovakia and Krasnaje in Belarus.

And for UK companies concerned about the ramifications of Brexit, easier trade with the world’s biggest exporter will for many be a cause for celebration.

At Arcadia we are always looking for new services to improve our offering to our  clients and will be looking into how we can incorporate this service into our Asia product sourcing service.

Make Memorable Merchandise

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Jason Markwick

Having worked in Promotional Merchandise for the last 25 years I have been exposed to all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an account manager working with some of the worlds leading brands, I have learnt to understand the needs of a client, manufacturing processes, and what it takes to deliver a successful promotional campaign that is on brand, on time and within a given budget.