KUNMING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- A China-Laos Railway international freight train loaded with goods departed from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Wednesday, bound for Vientiane in Laos, marking this railway's cumulative cargo transport volume exceeding 80 million tonnes since its launch on Dec. 3, 2021, including more than 18 million tonnes of cross-border shipments.
China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. said such cross-border freight train operations have expanded significantly, with daily services increasing from two at launch to a peak of 23.
As of Wednesday, a total of 71,000 freight trains had operated on this route. The variety of cross-border goods has surged from just over 10 items, such as fertilizers and rubber, to more than 3,800 spanning chemicals, textiles, electrical products and minerals, fueling regional economic vitality.
Annual cargo volumes have risen steadily. A total of 5.64 million tonnes have been transported so far this year. The railway's freight service now serves 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh, with over 20,000 international freight trains dispatched. ■
