Containers are transferred from a train on the Laos-Thailand railway to a train on the Laos-China railway.

Thanaleng Dry Port facilitates Thailand-Laos-China rail freight transport   

The Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP) in Vientiane has facilitated the international Thailand-Laos-China cargo train travelling from Thailand’s Map Ta Phut station in Rayong to Guangzhou in China via Laos.
Pan Asia Silk Road Co., Ltd. (PAS) and partners launched the first cargo train, which is running over a distance of 3,453 kilometres and shortening travel time by half to just five days, compared to land transport, thus delivering fresher seasonal Thai fruit to Chinese consumers.  
Carrying 25 reefer (refrigerated) containers of durian, the train departed Map Ta Phut station on April 19 and arrived at TDP the following day.
Executives of TDP, Laos’ first-ever integrated logistics centre, and representatives of relevant businesses on April 20 assembled to welcome the arrival of the train at the dry port.
“We have facilitated document declaration that can be done 24 hours in advance. This has eased processes when freight arrives,” said Viengkhone Sitthixay, Vice President of Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. - the developer of the multimodal dry port.
“We have also coordinated with state authorities, enabling them to undertake and finish inspection of [containers] within less than 30 minutes per train.”

Mr Viengkhone Sitthixay (third right) and representatives of relevant businesses welcome the cargo train at the Thanaleng Dry Port.	Authorities inspect the containers.

He added that document clearance has been considerably streamlined by the operation of the dry port, which also functions as an international border checkpoint for freight.
“We have notified exporters and importers as well as shipping service providers about these streamlined procedures so they can enjoy quicker service,” he told local media.
Containers were transferred from the train on the one-metre-track Laos-Thailand railway to a train on the standard gauge Laos-China rail track at the dry port before departing for Guangzhou.
PAS’s investment partners joining the launch of the historic rail route are Global Multimodal Logistics Co., Ltd. and Kaocharoen Train Transport Co., Ltd.
Other partners and affiliates joining the event are Lao National Railways, Laos-China Railway Company Limited, State Railway of Thailand, and China Railway Express Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Eternal Asia Supply Chain Co., Ltd., PTT Plc, Oriental Merchant Express Co., Ltd., and Asia Express Logistics Co., Ltd.
PAS and affiliates have also prepared 700-1,000 refrigerated containers for Thai exporters to shift their products – especially durian, mangosteen, and frozen seafood – to China, according to The Nation news agency.
The journey from Map Ta Phut to Kunming will take 3-4 days, while Map Ta Phut-Chongqing will take 4-5 days, and Map Ta Phut-Guangzhou will take 5-6 days. These routes offer a cheaper, faster and safer mode of cargo transport to China, the company was quoted as saying.
“Shipment by rail cuts transport costs by 30 percent,” President of Thailand’s Kaocharoen Train Transport Co., Ltd., Panya Paputsaro, told the Vientiane Times during his shipping journey at the Thanaleng Dry Port.
Mr Panya, who is following the shipment of the 25 containers to Guangzhou, said Thai exporters have received an increasing number of orders for Thai fruit from Chinese buyers.
This month his company will send two more shipments of durian to buyers in Kunming and Guangzhou.
To improve services for farm produce export to meet the growing need, Mr Viengkhone said his company is partnering with Chinese authorities to build a Chinese-certified sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) centre at the Vientiane Logistics Park.
Once the SPS centre is operational, products labelled with SPS seals there can directly enter the Chinese market without having to undergo SPS checks at the Chinese border.
Construction of the centre is expected to begin in July, and will take six to eight months to complete.
Opening for service in December 2021, the dry port facilitates the shipment of goods between China, Southeast Asian countries, and Russia.
Vientiane Logistics Park Co., Ltd. is also developing a world-class logistics complex comprising seven zones, including an export processing zone where companies can set up facilities such as cold-chain storage warehouses to keep farm products fresh.

A train on the Laos-Thailand railway arrives at the dry port.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update April 24, 2023)