The world’s longest train line now ends in Barking

And you thought the District line took its sweet time. Last week, a train set out from the Chinese city of Yiwu with a 12,000-mile journey ahead of it. After rolling through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France, it’ll rock up 18 days later in London. At Barking Rail Freight Terminal, to be precise.

Yep, the East End and East Asia are now directly linked via what the Chinese government is calling the New Silk Route, also known as the China-Europe Block Train. Other branches terminate at Madrid and Hamburg. Sadly, since it carries freight only, you can’t hop on the train for a scenic trip back to China. Though what with all those engineering works, you’d probably get there quicker than going to Gospel Oak.

In other London news, the Queen was nearly shot by a guard while taking a late-night stroll.

And it might snow in London this week.