VIENTIANE: Laos-China railway is a milestone project for Laos, opening a new chapter of connectivity for the only landlocked country in South-East Asia, said Lao officials.
“When the Laos-China railway started operation, it opened a new phase of the development of Laos,” said Saleumsak Sayamoungkhoun, director general of the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s Permanent Secretary Office.
“It is part of the transportation reform in the country that can connect Laos with many countries in the region, such as China and other South-East Asian countries.
"It is a milestone for the development of Laos,” Saleumsak told a media group on Monday (June 24).
Organised by the Chinese Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China Daily, a group of 25 journalists and influencers from China and Asean are on a media tour along the Laos-China railway from June 23 to 30.
The China-Laos railway, a flagship project under the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connects China’s southwestern city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
The Lao section of the railway, with a total length of 422.4km and a designed speed of 160km per hour, is an electrified single-track railway built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards.
The railway began operation on Dec 3, 2021, with the cross-border passenger service starting on April 13, 2023.
As of June 19 this year, the Laos section has carried a total of 5.72 million passengers, of which 1.69 million passengers were carried in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 41.3 percent, with a daily average of 9,864 passengers.
International passenger trains have carried 56,000 cross-border passengers, according to the Laos-China Railway Co that manages the Lao section of the railway.
Meanwhile, a total of 2.63 million metric tons of cargo have been carried this year as of June 19, a year-on-year increase of 31.9 percent, with a daily average of 15,393 tons and a maximum daily dispatch of 22,217 tons.
Over the past two and half years, the railway has become a golden corridor connecting South-East Asia with China, North-East and Central Asia, and even Europe.
Saleumsak said the Laos-China railway is important because it helps Laos to connect with other countries, including China, the world’s second largest economy.
“The transport of goods and passengers to China is very important and this can help promote the socio-economic growth of Laos,” said Saluemsak, adding that the trial operation of the Laos-Thailand railway, linking Bangkok with Vientiane, will be held on July 13 and 14.
The Laos-China railway, the first modern railway system of Laos, has allowed Laos to expand its domestic railway network, with plans to link Vientiane and Thakhek in Khammouane province in central Laos, said Hinpket Lakhonvong, an official of the Department of Railway under the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
Along with this plan, Laos will develop its railway network connectivity with other regional countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, said Hinpket.
“The railway is the backbone for the country’s transportation and it is an important period for Laos to transform from a landlocked country to a land-linked one,” said Anongdeth Phetkaysone, deputy managing director of the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport and deputy general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co.
Noting that the Laos-China railway is a main road for economic development, Anongdeth said the goal is to attract more investment to the country and promote economic growth along the route. - China Daily/ANN
