BEIJING, Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As of Monday, the China-Laos Railway has facilitated more than 43 million passenger trips and transported 48.3 million tons of goods during its three years of operation, according to information obtained by the Global Times from China State Railway Group Co (China Railway) on Tuesday.
The 1,035-kilometer railway, a flagship project within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, connects China’s southwestern city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane. It started operation on December 3, 2021.
Since entering business operation, the railway route has promoted regional connectivity, creating more opportunities for businesses and tourism practitioners in both countries, and injected strong impetus into economic development along the route.
According to China Railway, passenger traffic on the China-Laos Railway has been steadily increasing, with the monthly passenger volume rising from 600,000 at the initial stage of operation to the current 1.6 million.
Cargo transportation has experienced marked growth, with the number of daily cross-border cargo trains increasing from two at the beginning of the railway’s operation to the current 18.
To date, an accumulated 10.6 million tons of cross-border cargo has been transported on the railroad. Cross-border cargo transport services have been expanded to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, according to China Railway.
The variety of goods transported via the China-Laos Railway has risen from about 500 to more than 3,000 in the past three years. The monthly freight volume peaked at over 510,000 tons, an increase of 12.6 times compared with the first month of operation, according to data provided by Kunming customs authorities on Tuesday.
In the first 11 months of this year, the Kunming Customs supervised 4.34 million tons of goods worth 16.81 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) transported through the China-Laos Railway, both surpassing the total for 2023. Notably, China’s exports of fruits via the railway reached 158 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 51 times, while imports of fruits totaled 3.81 billion yuan, up 79.3 percent year-on-year.
Zhang Zhongyi, general manager of Beijing Yongxin Hengchang Fruit Co, a retailer of Lao bananas, told the Global Times that in the past, due to lack of transportation options, Lao bananas had to be sent by caravan from plantations to China-Laos border ports, a process that took a long time, resulting in high damage rates and a consequent increase in costs.
"However, with the implementation of a full cold chain transportation system on the China-Lao Railway in late October, the delivery speed has been significantly improved and the freshness of bananas has been greatly enhanced," Zhang said.
The first batch of fresh bananas from Laos arrived at the Jing Ping Logistics Hub in Beijing on October 20, carried by the first international cold-chain train of the China-Laos Railway, the Global Times learned.
The railway has also significantly boosted tourism along its route, as it connects major cities such as Kunming, Yuxi, Pu’er and Xishuangbanna in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province with renowned tourist destinations in Laos, involving over 560 tourist attractions in the railway network, according to China Railway.
"I had a remarkable experience traveling on the China-Laos Railway in May 2023. The carriages are very comfortable and clean. Even though the journey lasted about seven hours, time flew by without any discomfort. The customs process was incredibly quick and efficient," said Shi Yang, a traveler from Beijing who shared her experience with Global Times of traveling from Kunming to Luang Prabang in northern Laos via the China-Laos Railway.
Shi said that in the past, traveling to Laos used to require a costly flight. Now, with the railway in operation, the journey has become significantly more convenient not only for Chinese travelers, but also for Laotians visiting China.
"I believe that more and more Chinese people will choose to travel to Laos by train in the future. I’ve recommended this travel option to my friends," Shi said.
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