The steel artery has facilitated cross-border tourism, education, and business exchanges.
According to the Kunming branch of the China Railway Corporation, the China-Laos railway has seen a steady increase in both passenger and freight traffic since its launch, providing strong support for regional connectivity and socio-economic development along its route.
The China-Laos railway, which is 1,035 km long, connects the Chinese city of Kunming (the administrative center of Yunnan Province, Southwest China) and the capital of Laos, Vientiane.
As of February 2, a total of 90,000 passenger train trips have been made on the China-Laos railway. The total passenger flow has exceeded 66.12 million person-times. In particular, the passenger flow on the section within China amounted to 53.95 million person-times, while the flow on the section outside its borders reached 12.17 million person-times.
According to the aforementioned branch, this railway has significantly facilitated cross-border tourism, education, and business exchanges between China and Laos.
Currently, the peak passenger flow on the China-Laos railway has arrived during the winter-spring tourist season. To meet the growing demand, railway authorities have increased capacity. The number of operating passenger trains has reached 70 per day, with a passenger flow of 60,000 person-times per day.
Meanwhile, a total of 76.8 million tons of cargo have been transported by the railway, including 17 million tons of cross-border cargo. Currently, its services cover 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China and extend to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The range of goods transported across the border has expanded to more than 3,800 categories.
It is worth noting that the China-Laos railway was officially put into operation in December 2021, and in April 2023, international passenger services were launched, connecting Kunming and Vientiane.
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