China-Laos Railway reports surge in cross-border passenger traffic during Spring Festival holiday

KUNMING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The China-Laos Railway saw a surge in cross-border passenger traffic during the recently concluded Spring Festival holiday, China Railway Kunming Group Co. said on Wednesday.

During the nine-day holiday, which lasted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 23, the China-Laos Railway handled 12,900 cross-border trips, which was a 41.8 percent year-on-year increase. The figure included over 6,300 inbound passengers, up 52.7 percent, and over 6,500 outbound passengers, a rise of 32.5 percent.

Stretching 1,035 kilometers from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province to the Lao capital of Vientiane, the China-Laos Railway commenced operations on Dec. 3, 2021. To meet growing demand for cross-border travel, international passenger train services between Kunming and Vientiane were introduced on April 13, 2023.

Connecting more than 560 tourist destinations, the China-Laos Railway serves as a premier cross-border travel route, having facilitated cross-border trips for more than 700,000 tourists from 124 countries and regions. ■