Published : 2024-12-03
On December 3, 2021, the China–Laos Railway was fully opened.
The China–Laos Railway connects Kunming in China's Yunnan Province and Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
The entire line adopts Chinese standards and is one of the landmark projects of the Belt and Road initiative. The total length of the China–Laos Railway is 1,035 kilometres, making it an international railway directly connected to the Chinese railway network.
The "Lancang" bullet train put into operation on the China–Laos Railway has a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometres per hour. The name is derived from the ancient name of Laos, the Kingdom of Lan Xang, and the Lancang River that flows through both China and Laos.
The Lancang train is painted in the colours of the Lao flag: red, blue, and white. Passenger information displays, broadcasts, and service signs are provided in Chinese, Lao, and English.
After the opening and operation of the China–Laos Railway, passengers can travel from Kunming to Vientiane in approximately 10 hours at the fastest, with the customs clearance time included.
President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony via video. In his speech, he stated that the China–Laos Railway is a flagship project of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Both sides should continue their efforts, maintain and operate the railway well, develop and build along the line well, and create a golden route that benefits the people of both countries.
The opening and operation of the China–Laos Railway changes Laos' transportation landscape from being "landlocked" to "land-linked," greatly facilitating travel and promoting the development of tourism, agriculture, water resources, and urbanisation along the route.
At the same time, the China–Laos Railway has significant importance for the close economic, social, and cultural cooperation and exchanges between China and Laos, accelerating the construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor and the creation of a China-Laos community with a shared future.
