21 days. That’s the time it will take to complete the largest train journey in the world. 9977 kilometres that go from Yiwu, China, to Madrid, Spain. It’s also part of the New Silk Road, a Chinese project to gain control over transcontinental cargo transportation between Asia and Europe.
The route is much longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway, which at 9289 km was the previous record holder. The Washington Post writes:
On Nov. 18, an 82-container freight train left the eastern Chinese industrial city of Yiwu. It was embarking on a landmark journey that is supposed to end 21 days later, in December, in Madrid.
The Yiwu-Madrid train route is part of the New Silk Road, a project that the Chinese government wants to revitalise intercontinental trade. They are spending $US40 billion in this bid to gain control of land-based transportation through Asia and Europe — and that’s just the beginning.
According to The Economist, the train carries consumer products from China to Europe and will bring back expensive products, like luxury cars and other high-priced goods.
Here’s video of the gigantic train: