China-Laos-Thailand round-trip freight train launched from China's Yunnan

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 24, 2022 shows a freight train to enter the China-Laos Railway's Friendship Tunnel connecting Mohan in southwest China's Yunnan Province and Boten in northern Laos. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

KUNMING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A freight train loaded with 19 cold-chain containers packed with about 280 tonnes of fresh vegetables left Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Tuesday.

This was the first "China-Laos-Thailand" round-trip freight train. The train was scheduled to arrive in the Thai capital of Bangkok in 55 hours.

It will first stop at the Vientiane South Station in Laos for reloading, and then head for Bangkok via the Thai meter-gauge railway, which helps shorten the travel time by about one day compared to the previous route, while also reducing the transportation cost by more than 20 percent, said the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. The previous route was a combination of railway and highway.

When the train returns, it will carry seasonal fruits such as Thai longan and durian.

At present, cross-border freight transportation via the China-Laos Railway covers Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries along the Belt and Road. The variety of transported goods has expanded from just more than 10 types when the railway was first opened to over 1,200 types currently. Total freight volume on this route now exceeds 2.5 million tonnes.