China-Laos railway marks 100 days of success

The China-Laos Railway has handled more than 360 cross-border freight trains and helped transport more than 280,000 metric tons of international cargo since operations began three months ago, China Railway Kunming Group Co reported on Saturday.

Goods transported along the route have reached countries and regions including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh. It has also handled more than 1.8 million passengers, the company said.

The railway, a landmark project of high-quality cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, marked its 100th day of operation on Saturday.

Opening to traffic on Dec 3, the China-Laos Railway, is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries. It runs over 1,000 kilometers.

The railway provides a fast and convenient cargo transportation channel between China and Laos, taking only 30 hours from Kunming, Yunnan province, to the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

Driven by increasing demand for transportation, the types of goods being moved along the route have expanded from fertilizers, fodder and vegetables at the beginning to more than 30 categories of goods, including electronic products, monocrystalline silicon, daily necessities and communication equipment.

It has so far brought imports of 120,000 metric tons of goods valued at more than 500 million yuan ($78.7 million), sources with the company said.

To further improve the quality of freight transportation, the rail service has become more diverse, from traditional international cargo trains to the Lancang-Mekong Express and cold-chain capability.

The Lancang-Mekong Express, with its one-stop freight service, takes only 26 hours between Kunming and Vientiane.

Contact the writer at qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn