LONDON: December 30, 2016. Brunel Project Cargo (BPC) is participating in the first container train service that departs Yiwu, China on January 01, 2017 and is expected to arrive in London by the middle of the month.

Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment, which is responsible for the new route, said it has been running a similar service to Madrid via Duisburg, Germany for over a year.

Price for a 40 ft. container from Yiwu in China's Zheijang province to London Barking railway station is US$4,600. The return trip costs US$2,500, according to BPC.

"The new service has a very quick transit time. We believe this is going to change the way a lot of forwarders and shippers view their imports and exports for China," said Mike White, Group Operations director at BPC. "Particularly with airfreight, as instead of 30 days import from China, there is now a rail option of just 14 days.

"For any shippers who were booking seafreight, then turned to airfreight if goods were late in being manufactured, they will now have this rail option at 50 percent less costs and time," he added.

White said the benefits of the new rail link include a 50 percent reduction over the cost of airfreight and a similar level in time compared to seafreight; faster release of cargo because Customs declarations and inspections can be completed together; and pricing and service options including FCL, LCL and door-to-door shipments.