The China-Laos Railway started cross-border passenger services on Thursday, a day ahead of the Lao New Year holiday, a move that is expected to boost regional connectivity under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The first international passenger train, D887 departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 8:08 a.m. (Beijing Time) for the Lao capital Vientiane, allowing passengers to reach their destination the same day, in ten and a half hours.

The 1,035-kilometer-long railway, which began operation in December 2021, has offered domestic passenger services, while trains regularly carry freight across the Laos-China border.

According to a release from China State Railway Group Company (China Railway), the move comes as "COVID-19 control enters a new stage and people's demand for cross-border travel surges," and is based on a consensus found following negotiations between the railway departments of China and Laos.

As the China-Laos railway becomes a crucial factor in facilitating travel, the Lao tourism authorities anticipate that around 368,000 Chinese travelers will visit Laos in 2023, up 21 percent compared to 2022.

The Lao government hopes to attract 1.4 million visitors in 2023, which is expected to generate more than $340 million.

Historic event of China-Laos cooperation

As the only landlocked country of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with mountains and plateaus that account for about 80 percent of its land area, Laos has realized its dream of becoming a land-linked hub in the region with the cross-border railway, said Director General of Lao News Agency (KPL), Khampheuy Philapha.

"Cross-border passenger service on the China-Laos Railway will support the Lao government's policy to transform itself from being a landlocked country into a land link, as a regional one or even a global one," Khampheuy said.

He added that it would greatly benefit Laos, given its significant role in bolstering the Southeast Asian country's economic development.

As a major part of the trans-Asian railway network, the China-Laos Railway will also become a "golden key" for Laos to connect with China and other ASEAN members, which will positively impact the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation.

"The launch of the cross-border passenger service will be a historic milestone in the cooperation between Laos and China," said Vanxay Tavinyan, deputy chief of the Propaganda and Training Board of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee.

"The cross-border passenger train will make cross-border travel between Laos and China more convenient and boost cultural exchanges between the two countries. It will also facilitate foreign visitors' travel to and from China."

Economic recovery, tourism boom

The tourism industry, a main source of foreign currency, has been viewed as a key sector to bolster the Lao economy, Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Office, Thipphakone Chanthavongsa said at a meeting recently.

Cross-border passenger service on the China-Laos Railway will notably boost Laos' tourism, the country's top priority in revitalizing its economy.

In February, Director General of the Tourism Development Department, Phonemaly Inthaphome presented a draft plan on preparations for Chinese tourists, outlining the general situation and outlook concerning the Chinese tourism market.

The cross-border passenger train is a great advantage for Laos because it facilitates tourist travel, said Bounthone Siphone, a vendor in VangVieng, a tourism town in Vientiane province.

Bounthone added that the arrival of Chinese tourists has brought hope to the recovery of the Lao tourism industry, as China is one of the world's largest outbound tourism markets. He is confident that the return of Chinese visitors would boost his sales.

Since the China-Laos Railway came into operation in December 2021, it has seen an increasing demand for its services. From January to February, the railway of the Lao section carried 417,400 passengers, up 256.2 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

On the busiest days, the railway made a record by carrying 10,197 passengers a day.

Tourism experts predict that millions of Chinese tourists will visit countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and many of them will travel on the China-Laos Railway.

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Cross-border passenger service to be launched on China-Laos Railway

(With input from Xinhua)