First phase of rail grinding completed on Lao section of China-Laos Railway

(ECNS)-- The first phase of rail grinding along a 144-kilometer stretch of the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway was completed early Sunday, as a grinding train wrapped up its work and rolled into Boten Station, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Lao section of the railway runs for 422 kilometers. This marked the first time large-scale track maintenance machinery had been used for rail grinding on the section since the line began operating, according to Ouyang Yongquan, deputy director of the Corporate Relations Department at Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC), which runs the line.

Work began on the night of May 18. Over 49 consecutive days, the LCRC and China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. carried out fine grinding of the tracks during nighttime maintenance windows, smoothing the rails to make passengers' rides more comfortable.

Chen Jin, who leads the grinding team at the Luang Prabang Maintenance Management Center, said a coordination meeting was held before every session to run through the day's tasks, personnel assignments and safety risks point by point, keeping each step of the process seamless and safely under control.

Often likened to a "rejuvenating treatment" for tracks, rail grinding can substantially extend the service life of rails, cut noise and vibration as trains run, and improve the overall experience for passengers, the LCRC said. 

Completing the project fills a technological gap in the use of heavy maintenance machinery for rail grinding on the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway. It also builds valuable experience for the second phase of grinding, scheduled for August, and lays a firmer foundation for the railway's safe operation.

(By intern Yang Qiaochu)