Australian travelers take a picture with train attendants when riding the China-Laos Railway passenger train from Vientiane, Laos to Kunming, capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan province. Photo: China Railway Kunming Group Co.

China-Laos Railway handles 48.6 million passenger trips, 54 million tons of goods since operation

(Global Times) -- The China-Laos Railway has handled more than 48.6 million passenger trips and 54 million tons of goods as of February since its launch on December 3, 2021, highlighting its role in enhancing the regional connectivity, trade and economic growth under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a statement sent to the Global Times on Tuesday by China Railway Kunming Group Co.
Since entering 2025, the China-Laos Railway has experienced a surge in freight and passenger traffic, transporting 4 million tons of goods, including 8,000 tons of imported fruits, and carrying 4.1 million passenger trips, marking its busiest period since operation, according to the statement.
By the end of February, the railway had run 69,000 passenger trains and 50,000 freight trains, with cross-border cargo exceeding 12.5 million tons, underscoring its role in regional economic integration, the statement noted.
During the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, the Mohan railway port in Southwest China’s Yunnan province, handled 42,000 inbound and outbound travelers, a year-on-year increase of 49 percent, underscoring the railway’s rising popularity and efficiency, said the statement.
With deepening bilateral cooperation, the China-Laos Railway has operated 1,777 Lancang-Mekong Express international freight trains, connecting 31 Chinese provinces with 19 countries, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore, it said.
As connectivity and freight volume increase, the China-Laos Railway has boosted efficiency and expanded its logistics model, cutting costs and enhancing global competitiveness, the statement said.
At Yunnan’s Mohan Port, cargo clearance time has dropped from over 40 hours to less than five hours. The railway has also connected with the China-Europe freight train network. In 2024, the first batch of Lao coffee beans were transported via the railway and then shipped to Europe by China-Europe freight trains, reaching Europe in just 15 days.
As a flagship project under BRI, the China-Laos Railway has become a catalyst for economic growth, forming a dynamic “railway economic belt” that strengthens trade and industrial cooperation, a representative from China Railway Kunming Group Co told the Global Time.
Lao bananas and cassava starch now reach China directly by rail, slashing transport costs by 40 percent, while Chinese photovoltaic modules delivered via the railway have powered Laos’ first floating solar plant, reducing annual carbon emissions by hundreds of thousands of tons. The variety of cross border goods has expanded from a handful of items like rubber and fertiliser to more than 3,000 kinds, including electronics, photovoltaics, telecommunications and automobiles, further driving regional trade.
“Laos has the ideal soil and climate for banana cultivation, producing sweet, tender and soft-textured bananas, which are highly popular in China,” Zhang Zhongyi, general manager of Beijing Yongxin Hengchang Fruit Co, a retailer of the Lao bananas, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
“The bananas from this shipment will be distributed through both online and physical channels, including major platforms like JD.com, Meituan and Guoduomei, and are likely to sell out within a week,” said Zhang.
Railway authorities of China and Laos have implemented targeted measures to accommodate the growing demand for passenger travel, boosting cultural exchanges.
Deng Deng, a traveler from East China’s Zhejiang province, took the China-Laos Railway to visit Luang Prabang last year. She found the train clean and well equipped, with immigration stops manageable.
“The ride was fast, and the instructions for immigration were clear, meanwhile, the entry process in Laos was slow, which took me about one hour,” Deng told the Global Times.

(Latest Update March 5, 2025)