An international freight train bound for Lao capital Vientiane pulls out of Yanhe Station of China-Laos Railway in Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)
BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The China-Laos Railway, stretching from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province to Vientiane in Laos, is turning distant dreams into daily reality for travelers and traders alike.
Since its launch on Dec. 3, 2021, the 1,035-kilometer railway has handled over 59 million passenger trips and transported more than 67.6 million tonnes of cargo, China News Service reported. It has become a vital regional economic corridor.
Passengers from 115 countries and regions have traveled on its international trains, visiting destinations in both China and Laos, making cross-border tourism a highlight of the railway's services.
"The train is comfortable and efficient. It will surely bring new opportunities," said two British tourists, who were traveling to Laos after touring Beijing and Chengdu.
A Lao tourist noted that she had visited China several times. "I used to fly, but now the train costs half as much and is very clean and pleasant," she said.
The railway links popular tourist spots like Kunming, Pu'er, and Xishuangbanna in China with Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and Vientiane in Laos, threading over 560 scenic areas. Travelers can cross the border in just a few hours.
As cross-border tourism continues to grow in popularity, the China-Laos Railway has steadily increased the number of train services. Daily passenger train services on the Chinese section have risen from 8 to a peak of 86, while services on the Lao section have increased from 4 to a peak of 18 per day.
Ma Zhaoyin, deputy director of transport production department at the Laos-China Railway Co. Ltd., said passenger numbers peaked in 2024, partly due to Laos' visa-free policy for the tourism year. He expects another surge during Laos' tourism season in October.
On the freight side, the Lancang-Mekong Express international cargo service on the China-Laos Railway, launched in January 2022, ensures speedy delivery of goods such as tropical fruits.
"Durians picked in Thailand at night can be in Kunming by the early morning of the third day," said Zi Li, a railway official in Mohan station under China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. The express service covers the route from Vientiane to Kunming in just 26 hours.
Zhou Mingbo, deputy director of the freight and logistics service center with China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd., said about 2,100 refrigerated containers are now used on the railway, shipping temperate fruits and vegetables to Laos and bringing back tropical fruits. So far, 413,000 tons of imported tropical fruits have been transported.
Cross-border cargo types have expanded from just over 10 categories to more than 3,300. Goods such as machinery, electronics, vegetables, and iron ore are regularly exchanged, linking Chinese freight services with ASEAN markets.
As of Sept. 19, cross-border freight volume on the China-Laos Railway exceeded 15 million tons, reaching 19 countries and regions including Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as 31 Chinese provinces.
With improving customs efficiency, this year's cross-border freight volume is expected to surpass 5 million tons, bringing tangible benefits to businesses and residents along the route.
(Edited by Tian Shenyoujia with Xinhua Silk Road, tianshenyoga0524@163.com)
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