KUNMING, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three years since its launch, the China-Laos Railway has handled over 43 million passenger trips and more than 48.3 million tonnes of cargo, with safe operations.

A flagship project within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the 1,035-km railway, linking Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan Province and Laotian capital of Vientiane, has significantly enhanced regional connectivity, boosted regional economic growth, facilitated people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and demonstrated great development potential as a golden transport corridor.

HIGH-QUALITY, COMFORTABLE JOURNEY

Five-year-old Li Hao, seated by the window of train D87 departing Kunming South Station for Vientiane on Tuesday morning, clapped with joy as he balanced a coin with his father's help and watched it stay upright while the train gained speed.

The popular "coin stability challenge" is tied to the TQI index, which gauges railway smoothness and service quality. A lower TQI value indicates a smoother ride and a better experience. Since its opening, the TQI of the China-Laos Railway has consistently remained below 2.7 millimeters, ensuring a high-quality and comfortable journey on par with high-speed rail.

The maintenance of the China-Laos Railway's Chinese section is handled by the Pu'er infrastructure division of China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd., with track adjustments about every two weeks. "Track maintenance is highly precise, down to 0.1 millimeters," said Bian Jiang, foreman of the Mohan maintenance station, adding that the introduction of drones and track inspection vehicles have greatly enhanced efficiency and accuracy.

The Chinese and Lao sections of the railway are operated and maintained under the same standards and requirements, with over 900 Chinese railway professionals having been sent to Laos to provide assistance.

The Lao section of the railway also features advanced systems to protect key areas, including monitoring of rainfall, strong winds and foreign object intrusions, as well as tunnel inspection robots that improve efficiency and accuracy.

"The railway has endured heavy traffic, torrential rains, and earthquakes," said Du Yonghui, director of the maintenance management center under China Railway Kunming Bureau Group Co., Ltd. in Luang Prabang of Laos.

Over the past three years of operation, the railway has completed more than 100,000 train trips without a single safety incident. It is a model of high-standard, high-quality construction and maintenance for cross-border railways, said Ngamprasong Muangmani, Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport.

TRADE FACILITATION

On Tuesday noon, 20 tonnes of durians from Laos arrived at China's Mohan Station via the Lancang-Mekong Express service of the China-Laos Railway, receiving clearance to proceed within just five minutes.

In April 2022, Kunming is entrusted to assume full management of Mohan Town in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and introduced swift customs clearance for the railway, significantly reducing clearance times at the Mohan railway port and boosting trade facilitation.

Mohan has become a highland for opening up. "With the China-Laos Railway, we are confident in Mohan's future," said Wang Yi, general manager of China Railway Yunnan Construction Investment Co., Ltd., which has increased investments in Mohan and actively participated in key projects like the digital economy industrial park and industrial management center.

Since the China-Laos Railway started operation on Dec. 3, 2021, the time and logistics costs for freight transportation between China and Laos have significantly decreased, and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries further deepened. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 26.6 percent year on year.

The China-Laos Railway has facilitated China's exports of its mechanical and electrical products and agricultural goods, as well as imports of Laos and Thailand's natural rubber and tropical fruits, demonstrating increasing trade and economic exchanges along the route.

As of this November, over 10.6 million tonnes of imported and exported goods, valued at over 44 billion yuan (about 6.11 billion U.S. dollars), had been handled by Kunming Customs since the railway began operations. The variety of goods transported across the border has also expanded, growing from more than 500 types to over 3,000, according to Kunming Customs.