China's Ningxia launches China-Laos int'l freight train service

YINCHUAN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The China-Laos freight train service linking northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and the Laos capital Vientiane started operation on Thursday, opening a new shortcut from Ningxia to Southeast Asia.

On Thursday morning, the first outbound train departed from Yinchuan, the regional capital, to Vientiane.

Carrying more than 500 tonnes of chemicals worth over 3.2 million yuan (about 500,000 U.S. dollars), the freight train will exit China via the port of Mohan in southwest China's Yunnan Province and is expected to reach Vientiane in about nine days.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in Yunnan Province with Vientiane. It is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries.

The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.