China-Laos Railway in smooth operation a month after launch

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 4, 2021 shows an international freight train bound for Laos near the China-Laos border. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

China-Laos Railway, which opened to traffic a month ago, has handled about 670,000 passengers and 170,000 tonnes of cargo, the Chinese railway operator said Jan. 3.

For the section in China, the railway has handled up to 31.5 pairs of trains each day, and the number of daily passengers has climbed from approximately 19,000 to about 33,000, with a total of 620,000 passengers traveling on the Chinese part of the route in one month, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

China-Laos Railway has operated 380 cargo trains, including 70 international cargo trains which transported about 50,000 tonnes of freight.

The goods shipped via the railway include rubber, fertilizers and daily necessities as well as electronics, photovoltaic products, communication products, automobiles, textiles, vegetables and flowers.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane. It is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries.

The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.