The UK is connected directly to the far east of China via a huge railway network that spans 7,500 miles.
Many in the UK might now know that there is a railway route that connects London to Yiwu, a city near China’s east coast.
In fact, the railway network has connected 12 Chinese cities and 9 European cities.
However, the train is not for those who want to travel. Instead, goods are transported between China and major European cities to boost trade.
Barking, east London, is where the route ends in London.
Former leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Darren Rodwell, said the route is impressive and could yet expand to connect multiple continents.
He said: “We have a freight train terminus sitting there that’s not really being utilised – so already there’s goods.
“So the socks we are wearing, 90% of them come from Yiwu in China, they come on the train that comes into Barking. Which sounds a bit bizarre, but it does.
“They reckon by the end of the decade we will be linked to the whole of Europe, the whole of Asia and the whole of Africa.
“Well that’s a pretty powerful trade route to be linked to, in fact I’d say the most powerful.
“You’ll be able to go from Barking, in effect, to Beijing in 36 hours.
“I mean, that is not bad… We are the location that is connected to most of the world’s economies, and that’s got to be utilised. It’s greener, it’s cleaner and it’s quicker than shipping.”
Hamburg, Duisburg and Milan are among the other cities in Europe connected to Yiwu.
However, the furthest city is the Spanish capital, Madrid, which is 8,000 miles away.
The remarkable railway route takes goods from Yiwu through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, and France.
The Yiwu to London route was launched in 2017 and has 34 carriages.