The China-Laos Railway has brought great benefits to the Lao people and opened up a new path for Laos’ development and prosperity. The operation of the railway has greatly enhanced Laos’ international strategic position, turning Laos into an important hub for transportation in the region. The streamlined China-standard bullet train for the railway runs in the north of the country. It has carried a total of around 2 million tons of goods, including 1.6 million tons of cross-border goods as of early December. The China-Laos Railway has carried a total of about 1.3 million passengers.
The railway has shortened the travelling time between cities along the route. For 32-year-old Kingkeo Duangphanam, going to the capital Vientiane in the far south of the country once meant an arduous trek of eight hours by bus. Now it takes only two hours, by rail. The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane. Tourists are eager to experience high-speed EMU (electric multiple units) trains, especially those from neighbouring countries like Thailand.
The railway’s Lao section has created more than 110,000 jobs for Lao people since its opening and has drawn the interest of numerous Chinese and local young talents. Pansy Yiayengva, 28, works as a conductor at the Vientiane station of the railway between Laos and China. “We were very touched and grateful to have those Chinese colleagues teaching us,” she said.
