As of Jan 2, Kunming customs has handled over 2.23 million tons of cargo transported via the China-Laos Railway since its launch in December 2021. December alone saw Kunming customs handle 286,000 tons of import and export cargo transported via the railway, 6.04 times more than in the first month of the service.
The 1,035-kilometer China-Laos Railway, a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative and a flagship project for the bilateral friendship, connects landlocked Laos with China's railway network, greatly expanding Laos' access to global markets.
"Since the opening of the China-Laos Railway, the variety of import and export goods handled by our company has greatly increased. Our business volume has increased 40 percent year-on-year, and our market competitiveness has significantly improved," said Zhang Xianzhou, head of an international logistics company in the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province.
The railway also reported handling of over 9 million passenger trips as of Jan 5.
Some 7.54 million passenger trips were registered in the railway's China section, while about 1.46 million were logged in its Laos section.
Since the beginning of 2023, the railway has seen growing momentum in its passenger volume, with its average daily dispatched number of passengers reaching 29,000, which is almost double when compared to the same period in 2022.
The China section has added multiple-unit trains, running 20 pairs daily on average to meet increasing passenger demand, said the group.
