NE China province launches first int'l freight train service via China-Laos Railway

SHENYANG, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Liaoning Province launched its first international freight train that runs via the China-Laos Railway on Friday, according to the local railway authorities.

At 10:18 a.m. Friday, Liaoning's first China-Laos international freight train departed from Shenyang, the capital city of the province, for Laotian capital Vientiane, loaded with 25 forty-foot containers of cargo including mechanical and electrical products, daily necessities and auto parts.

According to Wang Xiaodong with China Railway Shenyang Group Co., Ltd., the operation of the international freight train service marked the beginning of the trade via railway between northeast China and ASEAN countries.

The cross-border train was expected to arrive in Laos in 10 days, which is five to 10 days less than the transportation period of sea shipping, said Gao Zengli, chairman of Chengtong Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., one of the organizers of the service.

In addition, the new transportation method can effectively prevent the loss of goods during transportation, and reduce the impact of the pandemic and other force majeure factors, Gao said.

The China-Laos Railway, which kicked off operation on Dec. 3, 2021, stretches over 1,000 km, linking Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with the Laotian capital Vientiane.