An engineering marvel - China builds green rail linking Laos

The construction site of Yuanjiang River grand bridge along the China-Laos railway that is under construction in southwest China's Yunnan Province. - Xinhua/Pix by Jiang Wenyao

KUNMING, April 9 (Xinhua): Enveloped in a virgin forest of southwest China, a 5,800m-long tunnel has been drilled as part of the China-Laos railway while minimizing the impact on the environment.

The railway, which stretches more than 1,000 km from Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province, to Vientiane of Laos is scheduled to open in December this year. Upon completion, it will slash the travel time between the two cities to less than one day, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.