The steel channel across China and Laos continues to release momentum. After years of steady operation, the scale of China Laos railway freight has achieved leapfrog growth. Continuously upgrading transportation capacity and enriching cargo categories, it has become the core economic and trade hub of China Unicom Southeast Asia.

Continuous increase in transportation capacity

On August 18, 2026, China Railway Kunming Bureau Group released data. As of the morning of August 18, the cumulative freight volume of the China Laos Railway has exceeded 90 million tons, the cross-border freight volume has exceeded 21 million tons, the total number of freight trains in the whole line has exceeded 80000, and the number of cross-border freight trains has exceeded 23000.

The China Laos Railway will be officially opened to traffic on December 3, 2021. The railway departments of the two countries will continue to optimize the transportation organization mode and continuously improve the line capacity and traffic efficiency. By the end of 2025, the cumulative freight volume of the route is close to 17 million tons, and since 2026, the daily average freight volume of the route has remained stable at over 67000 tons. As the operation continues to mature, the daily number of cross-border freight trains has increased from 2 in the initial stage to a maximum of 23, and the traction tonnage of trains has increased from 2000 tons to 2800 tons, significantly improving transportation efficiency.

Radiation global trade

After years of deep cultivation and operation, the radiation scope of the China Laos railway continues to expand. At present, freight services have covered 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, etc. The category of transportation goods has achieved a leapfrog expansion, from more than ten types in the initial stage of opening to over 4000 types now, covering various livelihood and industrial and trade products. Keywords: China Laos Railway, cross-border freight

Relying on the route advantages, the characteristic intermodal transport modes such as the Lancang Mekong Express, the China Laos Railway plus China Europe Train, the China Laos Railway plus the new land sea channel in the west are becoming more mature, and a diversified and three-dimensional international logistics channel has been built. This cross-border railway not only solidifies the bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Laos, but also becomes a key link for the smooth flow of goods between China and Southeast Asia and South Asia, continuously activating the vitality of regional economic and trade development.Editor/Min Jing