it might look unspectacular, but this is one end of the new silk road. freight rail route stretching 11,000 kilometers. instead of silk and spices, typical cargoes today have electronics and textiles. >> we're part of the largest innovation in central europe. the chinese want to sell masses of consumer goods, and the best place to sell them is where you have a lot of consumers. combine that with a dense network of roads and railings at this end, plus the river connecting with rotterdam and more on europe's west coast. it is ideal. >> there are now 25 trains a week, peering both goods and hope for the future. located in germany's industrial heartland, it used to be a wealthy city but it has been in economic decline for decades. they still member the steel plants lighting up the nighttime sky. today, let the coal mines, most have been closed down. >> in the last 20 years, we lost around 30,000 or 35,000 jobs in the steel industry. >> which is why he welcomes trade from china. and the new silk road will boost investors. >> we will be building a china trade