China-Laos railway to launch cross-border passenger services

BEIJING -- Cross-border passenger trains linking Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan province, and the Lao capital Vientiane will be launched on the China-Laos railway on April 13, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Monday.

Starting Thursday, one passenger train will operate daily from Kunming to Vientiane and another one from Vientiane to Kunming. The train will stop at eight stations along the route, and the journey will take 10 hours and a half, including time spent on going through customs clearance.

The China-Laos railway started operation in December 2021. Passenger train services have been offered along the section between Kunming and Mohan, as well as the section connecting Vientiane and Boten.

As of Sunday, 13.93 million passenger trips have been made and 18.38 million tonnes of cargo transported on the China-Laos railway.