First China-Laos-Thailand round-trip freight train departs

This aerial photo taken on November 24, 2022 shows a freight train to enter the China-Laos Railway's Friendship Tunnel connecting Mohan in southwest China's Yunnan province and Boten in northern Laos. (Photo:Xinhua/VNA)

The first China-Laos-Thailand round-trip freight train departed from Kunming capital of southwest China's Yunnan province on February 8 and is expected to arrive in Bangkok in 55 hours.

The train was loaded with 19 cold-chain containers with about 280 tonnes of fresh vegetables, Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd, the train will first stop at Vientiane South Station in Laos for reloading and then head for Bangkok via the Thai meter-gauge railway. The route helps shorten the travel time by about 24 hours compared to the previous route, while also reducing the transportation cost by more than 20%.

When the train returns, it will carry seasonal fruits such as Thai longan and durian.

The 1,035 km China-Laos railway line passes through 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China and creates connections with eight Southeast Asian countries.

Currently, many countries have cross-border freight transport activities via this railway, including Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. The variety of goods transported has expanded from 10 types when the railway was first opened to over 1,200 types currently. The total freight volume on this route now exceeds 2.5 million tonnes./.

VNA