The China-Laos Railway Photo: VCG

The China-Laos Railway has carried a total of 8.5 million passenger trips and 11.2 million tons of cargos as of Friday on its first anniversary, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by China Railway. 

The railway has become an indispensable path contributing to the economic construction of the two countries including the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Laos Economic Corridor while improving the livelihoods of people from both sides. 

The successful operation of the China-Laos Railway has promoted regional connectivity, while bringing tangible opportunities and dividends to enterprises and people in China, Laos and ASEAN members along the way. 

Besides activating local tourism, the China-Laos Railway has accelerated the exchange and flow of resources, as the production of iron ore, cassava flour and rubber in Laos has increased by 1.8 million tons, 2 million tons and 1 million tons respectively. 

One year on, China-Laos Railway brings tangible benefits to countries along the route.Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT, Editor: Huo Siyu/GT

Moreover, the China-Laos Railway has covered the cross-border cargos in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Singapore and other countries and regions along the BRI. The cargo categories have expanded from around 10 types of goods at the early stage of opening to more than 1,200 kinds of electronics, photovoltaic, cold chain-fruits and so on.

The railway has become a top option for passengers along the route since the opening, as they can now enjoy a more efficient and comfortable commuting with consistently optimized measures to meet the market demand.

The statement noted that the Chinese section operates 42 daily trains with the maximum capacity reaching 65 for 50,000 people, sent 7.2 million passengers in total. The six operated lines in the Laos Section transported 1.3 million passengers. 

In addition to transporting passengers, The China-Laos Railway has also strongly boosted the delivery of cargos between China and the ASEAN members with a significant reduction in logistics cost and transportation time. 

The monthly freight volume and cross-border freight volume have reached record highs and are now about 3.5 times and 4 times higher compared with the first month of opening respectively, and the total delivered cross-border cargo volume exceeded 1.9 million tons.

The China-Laos-Thailand Railway has achieved interconnection, with 14 stations established and multiple container storages in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh and other cities. Meanwhile, innovative transportation models such as connecting the China-Laos Railway with the China-Europe freight trains have been adopted to step up the transportation efficiency. 

Global Times