China-Laos Railway cargo transport exceeds 90m tons

KUNMING -- China-Laos Railway has handled over 90 million metric tons of cargo since the railway began operation, with cross-border cargo surpassing 21 million tons, said China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, the railway had operated more than 80,000 freight trains, including over 23,000 cross-border freight trains, the operator said.

An official with the Kunming Logistics Center of China Railway Kunming Group said that the number of cross-border freight trains operated daily has risen to a peak of 23, while the maximum hauling capacity per train has increased from 2,000 tons to 2,800 tons.

The China-Laos Railway, which opened in December 2021 and links Kunming in southwest China with the Lao capital Vientiane, has grown from a regional transport corridor into an international logistics artery.

Currently, cargo transported via the railway reaches 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh. The range of commodities has expanded from just over 10 categories at the start of operations to more than 4,000 today.

Railway authorities in China and Laos have strengthened freight transport coordination and enhanced transport capacity and efficiency since its operation, sustaining a steady growth of cross-border cargo transport. The railway has handled 17.17 billion yuan (about $2.53 billion) worth of imports and exports in the first half of 2026, surging 33.8 percent year on year.