An international cargo train, fully loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, departed from Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province for Laos on Thursday.

An international cargo train of China-Laos Railway loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables departs from Wangjiaying West Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, bound for Laos, on Jan 2, 2025. Since the full operation of the China-Laos Railway on Dec. 3, 2021, the total cargo throughput of the railway has exceeded 50 million tons, including 11.58 million tons of cross-border goods. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

This marks the total cargo volume transported along the China-Laos Railway line surpassing 50 million metric tons since its launch in 2021.

The number of daily cross-border trains traveling on the 1,035-kilometer railway has increased from 2 to 18, with the accumulated cargo volume totaling 11.58 million metric tons to date.

Apart from the operation of more than 1,670 international freight trains, railway authorities have introduced new transportation models, including integrating the China-Laos Railway with the China-Europe freight train service.

This innovation has reduced railway transportation time from countries like Laos and Thailand to Europe to just 15 days. The cross-border freight train network now links 31 provinces, municipalities, and cities across China and extends to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, transporting more than 3,000 categories of goods.

Moreover, the railway department has also implemented various innovative measures to further facilitate customs clearance, including declaration for inbound goods in advance and the use of unified multimodal transport document.

At Mohan railway port, a key hub of the China-Laos Railway, cutting-edge technologies like 5G, BeiDou, and AI have been integrated to create a digitalized and intelligent freight yard, significantly improving loading and unloading efficiency.

Overall clearance time for import and export goods at the port has been reduced by more than 60 percent and 90 percent, respectively greatly boosting regional trade and economic cooperation.

Statistics show that the China-Laos Railway transported a total of 19.6 million metric tons of goods in 2024, averaging over 50,000 metric tons per day. Among these, 4.78 million metric tons were cross-border shipments, with imports far exceeding exports, highlighting robust market demand and vibrant trade activity.

An international cargo train of China-Laos Railway is pictured at Wangjiaying West Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Jan. 2, 2025. Since the full operation of the China-Laos Railway on Dec. 3, 2021, the total cargo throughput of the railway has exceeded 50 million tons, including 11.58 million tons of cross-border goods. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)