The train travels at speeds up to 160 km/h through mountains and valleys. There are 8 stations along the route, which spans over 1,000 km, and the journey takes 10 and a half hours, including customs clearance time.
The first cross-border train from Kunming to Vientiane is waiting for passengers at the station on the morning of April 13.
Liu Jin, 32, was on this inaugural train journey with his mother, who was traveling to Luang Prabang in Laos. He had made eight previous trips to Laos, mostly by bus, enduring over 27 hours on winding mountain roads.
Starting today, April 13th, there will be one passenger train per day from Kunming to Vientiane and another in the opposite direction.
These two passenger trains are expected to boost cross-border rail tourism between the two countries. The trains only stop at major stations, including two on the Lao side at two popular tourist destinations: Luang Prabang and Vangvieng.
On the first day, the train from Kunming station carried more than 200 tourists from China to Laos.
Since its launch in 2021, passenger trains have operated along the section between Kunming and the Chinese border town of Mohan, as well as the section connecting Vientiane and Boten, the Lao border town. 14 million passengers and over 18.2 million tons of cargo have been transported since then.
The China-Laos railway project has a total investment value of over $5.9 billion and is under a 50-year concession agreement. Due to the high investment value, capital recovery will take a long time, and it is expected to generate profit after 23 years of operation.
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