China–Laos Railway surpasses 62.5 million passenger trips in four years

(ECNS) -- The China–Laos Railway has carried more than 62.5 million passengers and transported over 72.5 million tonnes of cargo since opening four years ago, cementing its role as a vital regional transport corridor, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. reported Tuesday.

Since the railway began operation on Dec. 3, 2021, the number of daily passenger trains on the Chinese section has risen from eight at the initial stage to a peak of 86, totaling 51.34 million passenger trips. On the Lao section, daily passenger trains have increased from four to a maximum of 18, culminating in 11.24 million passenger trips.

Liu Qi, a train conductor with China Railway Kunming Group, said passenger volume on the China–Laos Railway has continued to rise year by year. Monthly passenger trips have grown from 600,000 in the early stage of operation to a peak of 2.2 million, while daily cross-border passenger flows have surged from 300 to as many as 1,400.

Four international passenger trains now run daily between Kunming, southwest China, and Vientiane, Laos. Since the railway’s opening, a total of 2,674 international trains have carried 640,000 travelers from more than 120 countries and regions, boosting cross-border tourism and injecting new vitality into the regional economy.

The number of daily cross-border freight trains has risen from two to a peak of 23, with cumulative cross-border cargo exceeding 16 million tonnes. Freight costs from Kunming to Thailand via Laos have fallen by 30 to 50 percent, while transport costs within Laos have been reduced by 20 to 40 percent, providing a new engine for regional economic development.