So long snail, adieu sail, guten tag rail

As snail mail bites the dust and sail mail disappears into the sunset, there is something just as old-fashioned to hail: rail.

For those in Europe keen to get their hands on the latest laptop computer, that means not needing to wait a nanosecond longer than they need to.

The key to it all is a railway line linking Chongqing in Southwest China, to Duisburg, Germany, that opened in 2011.