By September 20, 2025, the China Laos Railway has handed over a remarkable report card: more than 80000 passenger trains have been operated, more than 59 million passengers have been sent, and more than 580000 cross-border passengers have been sent; The total number of freight trains operated on the entire line has exceeded 60000, with a freight volume of over 67.6 million tons and cross-border freight transportation exceeding 15 million tons. Since its opening nearly 4 years ago, this steel dragon has become a powerful engine driving regional development.

In terms of passenger transport, the passenger traffic volume of the China Laos Railway grew strongly. The total number of passengers sent per month on the entire line has increased from 600000 in the initial opening period to over 1.6 million currently. The number of daily passenger trains in the domestic segment has increased from 8 to a maximum of 86, with a total of 48.6 million passengers transported; The number of passenger trains operating in the Laos section has increased from the initial 4 trains per day to a maximum of 18 trains. In order to better meet the travel needs of passengers, the railway department continuously optimizes the train operation plan. The number of cross-border passenger seats on each international passenger train has increased from 250 per day in the initial stage to 420 at present, and the number of inbound and outbound passengers has increased from 300 per day to a maximum of 1300, making personnel travel more convenient and efficient.

The freight industry has also achieved remarkable results. The freight volume of China Laos railway continued to rise, and the export goods increased by 40% -60% year-on-year for three consecutive years. In order to enrich the types of transportation and expand the radiation range, the railway department actively takes action. More than 2400 cross-border international freight trains have been operated on the Lancang Mekong Express, transporting nearly 1 million tons of goods. It also launched international freight train products such as "Beijing Yunnan Lancang Mekong Line", "Shanghai Yunnan Lancang Mekong Line", "Kunming Inland Port No." rail sea intermodal transport, and explored new international transport modes such as "China Laos Railway+China Europe Railway". These measures have achieved significant results, reducing the direct railway transportation time from countries such as Laos and Thailand to Europe to 15 days, covering 19 countries and regions for cross-border cargo transportation, and more than 3300 types of cross-border goods, injecting strong impetus into regional trade prosperity.

The vigorous development of the China Laos railway has not only narrowed the space and time distance between China and Laos, but also promoted regional economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. It is like a bridge, spanning mountains, rivers, and connecting different countries and regions, allowing resources, technology, talent, and other elements to flow freely. Looking forward to the future, the China Laos railway will continue to play an important role, continue to move forward on the road of connectivity, and contribute more to building a community with a shared future for mankind.Editor/Cheng Liting