China-Laos Railway passengers set record

A record 1.45 million passenger trips were made on the China-Laos Railway in July, averaging 46,000 trips daily, according to operator, the Kunming branch of China State Railway Group Co.

The railway, which started operating in December, links Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province with Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

As of Aug 2, 5.54 million passenger trips had been made, and 6 million metric tons of goods had been transported.

To boost tourism during peak season, a special travel train began running on July 23, linking Lijiang and Xishuangbanna, two popular travel destinations in Yunnan province, reducing travel time compared with roads.

Besides providing better passenger services, the operator is working on improving cargo services. So far, about 21 provinces have used the China-Laos Railway's cargo services to transport more than 1,200 types of goods to Southeast Asian countries. The number of cargo trains increased to five to six pairs from one pair at the beginning.