China-Laos Railway starts cross-border passenger services
The China-Laos Railway started cross-border passenger services on Thursday, a move that is expected to boost regional people-to-people connectivity.
The first passenger train departed from Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 8:08 a.m. Beijing Time, heading for the Lao capital Vientiane.
It was followed about an hour later by its sibling which operated in the opposite direction.
The China-Laos Railway, which runs 1,035 km, is a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It started operation on Dec. 3, 2021, but with the Chinese section and Lao section running separately for passenger services before Thursday.
The first train trip setting off from Yunnan has been a hit among the locals, with all of its 720 seats sold out three hours after release.
The trip takes ten and a half hours to link Kunming and the Lao capital.
The train contains eight carriages, with three for cross-border passengers and five serving domestic travellers.
Yi Guangxiang, a train attendant, said aboard the train they will serve the passengers in Lao, mandarin and the dialect of Dai -- an ethnic minority group dwelling in Yunnan.
"It means that we welcome everyone to come and take the China-Laos Railway, and I'm happy to be on the staff. The railway now reaches my hometown Xishuangbanna, bringing us much convenience," said Yi.
Since the China-Laos Railway came into operation, it has seen an increasing demand for its services. From January to February this year, the railway of the Lao section transported 417,400 passengers, up 256.2 % compared to the same period last year.
The latest launch of the cross-border passenger service comes just in time for the traditional Lao New Year, which is expected to boost the rail passenger traffic during the long holiday.
As the China-Laos Railway becomes a crucial infrastructure in facilitating travel, Lao tourism authorities estimate that around 368,000 Chinese travellers will visit Laos this year, up 21 % from 2022.
Insiders estimate that millions of Chinese tourists will visit Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries, with many of them travelling on the China-Laos Railway.
Reuters
