BBC: "First rail freight service to China departs UK"

[itfcfan]

The BBC is reporting a freight train has left on its journey from UK to China:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39549077

The news report states the train departed Stanford-le-Hope - that'd be the London Gateway terminal then?

I've had a scan through RTT and one candidate for this train is "H16436" (London Gateway Db Cargo to Dollands Moor Sdgs). Out of curiosity, does anyone with more knowledge in this than me know if that's the service?
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H16436/2017/04/10/advanced

 

[BRX]

Yes it is - and it passed through South London about half an hour ago. I have a video, I'll put it up shortly.

I was surprised to find it running to Dollands Moor via the "classic" route - the incoming service came along HS1 and into Ripple Lane.

If anyone knows if this is likely to be its "normal" route I'd be interested to find out... is great to see a train to China passing through!

 

[Suraggu]

Yes it is - and it passed through South London about half an hour ago. I have a video, I'll put it up shortly.

I was surprised to find it running to Dollands Moor via the "classic" route - the incoming service came along HS1 and into Ripple Lane.

If anyone knows if this is likely to be its "normal" route I'd be interested to find out... is great to see a train to China passing through!

Running frieghts on HS1 during daylight, people will think you are mad.

 

[BRX]

Here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8r7SjYLNIg

 

[itfcfan]

Here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8r7SjYLNIg

Great - thanks!

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8r7SjYLNIg

Interesting - I was at the official departure of the service at London Gateway and it left with two empty wagons at the rear (32 containers). But in the video all wagons have boxes on (34 in total).

Judging by the light it must have been passing through south London round about 7pm-8pm and as the 'departure' was at about 11.30am - it only ventured a short way up the London Gateway branch - it would have had time to go back into the terminal for the last two boxes to be loaded.

 

[fergusjbend]

Interesting - I was at the official departure of the service at London Gateway and it left with two empty wagons at the rear (32 containers). But in the video all wagons have boxes on (34 in total).

Judging by the light it must have been passing through south London round about 7pm-8pm and as the 'departure' was at about 11.30am - it only ventured a short way up the London Gateway branch - it would have had time to go back into the terminal for the last two boxes to be loaded.

The RTT feed reveals that it took about 7 hours to travel from London Gateway to Dollands Moor, of which about two hours was spent at Ripple Lane. Presumably the remaining empty wagons were loaded there. Even so, this train does seem to have taken an inordinate time to reach its destination. I am a bit confused as to why it started at a sea terminal - why trans-ship boxes from ship to train to export them thousands of miles, rather than keep them on the ship and sail to China?

 

[BRX]

I don't think the boxes were transhipped from anywhere - I assumed they were the same ones as arrived on the first service from China, as they were all China Rail branded, and matching.

I also wondered why it started from Gateway, though.

Does anyone know what happened to the containers when they arrived at Ripple Lane? Were they taken to their final destinations by road, or unloaded there?

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The RTT feed reveals that it took about 7 hours to travel from London Gateway to Dollands Moor, of which about two hours was spent at Ripple Lane. Presumably the remaining empty wagons were loaded there. Even so, this train does seem to have taken an inordinate time to reach its destination. I am a bit confused as to why it started at a sea terminal - why trans-ship boxes from ship to train to export them thousands of miles, rather than keep them on the ship and sail to China?

Mainly, we were told, because Customs has a full presence at London Gateway port, which wouldn't be the case at Barking. Also, they said, because it has better security and all-round facilities and there is a big logistics park at Gateway, which might in future generate some traffic.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The RTT feed reveals that it took about 7 hours to travel from London Gateway to Dollands Moor, of which about two hours was spent at Ripple Lane. Presumably the remaining empty wagons were loaded there. Even so, this train does seem to have taken an inordinate time to reach its destination. I am a bit confused as to why it started at a sea terminal - why trans-ship boxes from ship to train to export them thousands of miles, rather than keep them on the ship and sail to China?

Just rereading your post, in answer to your question, there was no ship involved. The train to China simply used the rail facilities at the port, which although originally designed to handle boxes to and from ships, are I suspect currently somewhat under-employed.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I don't think the boxes were transhipped from anywhere - I assumed they were the same ones as arrived on the first service from China, as they were all China Rail branded, and matching.

I also wondered why it started from Gateway, though.

Does anyone know what happened to the containers when they arrived at Ripple Lane? Were they taken to their final destinations by road, or unloaded there?

Almost certainly would have been delivered by road. Facilities to unstuff boxes at Ripple Lane being almost non-existent.

 

[BRX]

Do we know when the next one is scheduled to arrive? News articles suggested it would run weekly to start with.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Do we know when the next one is scheduled to arrive? News articles suggested it would run weekly to start with.

I was told they were hoping to run it fortnightly initially (subject to traffic actually materialising) but that they hoped to go to weekly soon.
CL

 

[BRX]

I gather one of these (only the second one so far?) arrived into Ripple Lane this morning. Does anyone know when the return trip will go out?

 

[BRX]

This ran this evening for the first time and is expected to become regular - London Gateway to Duisburg. Seems this may be the "real" incarnation of the China service. Does anyone know more?