China-Laos Railway records 2,597 cross-border passenger trips in first week

A passenger train bound for the Lao capital Vientiane awaits departure from Kunming South Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

KUNMING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The China-Laos Railway handled 2,597 cross-border passenger trips during the week since it launched this passenger service on April 13, said the Mohan entry-exit border checkpoint.

During this period, the Chinese border town of Mohan, southwest China's Yunnan Province, logged 1,154 outbound trips and recorded 1,443 inbound trips.

"This train journey from Laos to China is much more convenient compared with the highway trip I made three years ago. It saves travel time and allows me to enjoy the scenery along the route!" said Saykhampha Daophasouk, a Laotian student who came to study in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.

Thanks to the newly-launched cross-border passenger train service, she now needs less than five hours to reach Mohan after departing from the Laotian capital Vientiane, and another five hours to arrive in Kunming. Previously, such a trip took two to three days, and required changing buses.

The Mohan checkpoint plans to further improve border exit and entry control measures in a bid to better serve passengers in the future.

The China-Laos Railway, a landmark project showcasing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, began operation in December 2021. The 1,035-km railway connects China's Kunming with Vientiane in Laos.