Hanoi: The Laos-China Railway has successfully handled over 90 million tonnes of cargo since its commencement, with cross-border cargo exceeding 21 million tonnes, as reported by China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. on Tuesday. This milestone highlights the railway's significant role in regional and international logistics.
According to Lao News Agency, the railway has operated more than 80,000 freight trains, including over 23,000 cross-border freight trains, since its inception. An official from the Kunming Logistics Center of China Railway Kunming Group indicated that the number of cross-border freight trains operated daily has peaked at 23. Additionally, the maximum hauling capacity per train has increased from 2,000 tonnes to 2,800 tonnes.
The China-Laos Railway, inaugurated in December 2021, links Kunming in southwest China with the Lao capital Vientiane. It has evolved from a regional transport corridor into an international logistics artery. Currently, the railway facilitates cargo transport to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The variety of commodities transported has expanded from just over 10 categories at the start to more than 4,000 today.
Railway authorities in China and Laos have bolstered freight transport coordination and enhanced transport capacity and efficiency since the railway's operation began. This has sustained a steady growth in cross-border cargo transport. In the first half of 2026 alone, the railway managed 17.17 billion yuan (approximately 2.53 billion U.S. dollars) worth of imports and exports, marking a 33.8 percent increase year on year.