Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On March 25th, reporters learned from China Railway Kunming Bureau Group that a fully loaded freight train on the China-Laos Railway departed from Kunming Container Center Station in Yunnan Province for Vientiane, Laos that morning. This marked a significant milestone, with the China-Laos Railway's cargo transport volume officially exceeding 80 million tons, including over 18 million tons of cross-border freight, effectively boosting regional economic development.
It is understood that since its opening, the China-Laos Railway has seen a total of 71,000 freight trains operated along its entire length. The number of daily cross-border freight trains has increased from 2 at the beginning to a peak of 23, and the train traction tonnage has increased from 2,000 tons to 2,800 tons, making it a "golden corridor" for connectivity between China and ASEAN.
China Railway Kunming Bureau, targeting market demand, has launched the Lancang-Mekong Express international freight train on the China-Laos Railway and innovatively introduced a series of international freight train products, including the "Lancang-Mekong Express + China-Europe Railway Express," the "Shanghai-Yunnan-Lancang-Mekong Line," the "Beijing-Yunnan-Lancang-Mekong Line," and the "Kunming Land Port Express" rail-road-sea intermodal transport. Currently, it operates two scheduled Central Asia freight train lines with a speed of 120 km/h and six with a speed of 80 km/h, promoting cross-regional industrial chain integration and facilitating steady growth in cross-border freight volume. To date, the China-Laos Railway has operated over 20,000 international freight trains.
Since its opening, the China-Laos Railway has seen a year-on-year increase in freight volume, reaching 12.47 million tons, 17.81 million tons, 19.64 million tons, and 24.48 million tons respectively, with 5.64 million tons this year, showing a strong upward trend and robust development momentum.
Currently, the China-Laos Railway's transport network continues to expand, covering 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The range of cross-border commodities has expanded from more than 10 types, such as fertilizers and rubber, at the beginning of the program to more than 3,800 types, including chemicals, fresh produce, textiles, electrical appliances, ores, and agricultural by-products, injecting new vitality and adding new momentum to the region's prosperity and development.
