Mr Viengkhone Sitthixay talks to media.

First freight train from China passes through Laos en route to Thailand

The Thanaleng Dry Port in Vientiane has processed the transfer of the first rail freight shipment from China, destined for Thailand, creating another milestone in speedy, cost-effective logistics and transport systems.

Mr Viengkhone Sitthixay (fifth left) and representatives of relevant parties launch the cargo transfer between the Laos-China and Laos-Thailand railways.

A ceremony took place at the dry port on Thursday to transfer cargo from a train on the 1.435 metre standard-gauge Laos-China railway to a train on the one-metre gauge Laos-Thailand track.
The train, carrying 286 metric tons of fresh vegetables in cold-chain containers, departed from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province on Tuesday. The containers were re-loaded onto a train on the Laos-Thailand railway at the dry port before departing at around 3pm on Thursday for Bangkok, where the shipment is expected to arrive at about 5am at the latest.
Combined, it takes about 55 hours for the shipment to travel from Kunming to the Thai capital, said Viengkhone Sitthixay, Vice President of Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. - the developer of the dry port.
The new mode of transport is expected to shorten travel time by one day and decrease logistics costs by 20 percent, compared with the previous system which involved both rail and road transport, the China Daily reported, citing the China Railway Kunming Bureau Group.
On the return trip, the train will carry fruit from Thailand to China, such as longan and durian.
“The cost of transport is very much reduced. It creates great transport potential for the region,” said Mr Viengkhone, adding that this gives a big boost to business opportunities.
The China Railway Kunming Bureau Group believes the efficient and stable new cold-chain logistics channel will promote trade cooperation between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the China Daily.
Cross-border cargo transport on the China-Laos railway has so far involved Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Singapore. There have been more than 3,600 train journeys transporting 2.5 million tons of cross-border freight, the news agency added.
Mr Viengkhone was optimistic that rail transport through the dry port will grow significantly in the years to come, thanks to easier handling processes.
Last year, the multimodal-transport dry port processed more than 40,000 containers. This volume is expected to increase to between 100,000 and 120,000 containers this year, according to Mr Viengkhone.
Lao, Thai and Chinese authorities are promoting freight shipment through this transport route, he added. 

A crane transfers containers from the Laos-China railway to the Laos-Thailand railway.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update February 10, 2023)