After years of construction, the railway linking southwest China's Kunming City with the Lao capital Vientiane became fully operational on Friday afternoon. With a length of 1,035 kilometers, this docking project links the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. With a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, the Lane Xang electric multiple unit (EMU) will take passengers from Kunming to Vientiane in 10 hours. The China-Laos Railway is also expected to accelerate the construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor.