* The launch of cross-border passenger providers on the China-Laos Railway, a serious a part of the trans-Asian rail community, has been hailed as a historic occasion for Laos because the landlocked nation realizes its dream of turning into a land-connected hub within the area and past.
* Thonglor Duangsavanh, editor-in-chief of the native day by day Vientiane Instances, mentioned that cross-border passenger transport will drastically contribute to the socio-economic growth of Laos and promote people-to-people exchanges between the 2 neighbors.
* As of Friday, there have been 3,049 passenger trains working on the Lao part of the China-Laos Railway, carrying 2.22 million passengers. This 12 months, there have been 834 passenger trains that transported 778,000 passengers. The common passenger load reached 97.85 %, and the most important variety of passengers per day was on March 4 – 10,197 folks.
VIENTIANE, April 17 (Xinhua) — Baunthavi, a younger man from the vacationer city of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, felt the vigorous aura of the Lao New Yr that he had not seen in his hometown for years.
He attributed this to the China-Laos Railway, which launched cross-border passenger providers on Thursday to chop journey time between Kunming, the capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province, and Laos’ capital Vientiane to 10 and a half hours.
HISTORICAL EVENT
“I’m pleased with the change the China-Laos Railway has delivered to my hometown!” – mentioned Bounthavy, who labored as a translator in the course of the development of the China-Laos railway stations.
Vacationers, he mentioned, are flocking for the Lao New Yr holidays, and lodges in Luang Prabang are at full capability. A lot of his fellow villagers applauded the event and adjustments introduced by the railway, wanting ahead to a brilliant future for his or her hometown.
Lao officers greet passengers touring on the primary cross-border passenger prepare from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, to Lao capital Vientiane at Boten Station of the China-Laos Railway in Luang Namtha, Laos, April 13, 2023. ( Xinhua/ Xing Guangli)
The launch of cross-border passenger providers on the China-Laos Railway, a serious a part of the Trans-Asian Railway Community, has been hailed as a historic occasion for Laos because the landlocked nation realizes its dream of turning into a landlocked nation. related middle within the area and past.
The railway will now change into a “golden key” for Laos to attach with China and different members of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which can drastically profit the China-ASEAN Free Commerce Space and financial cooperation within the Larger Mekong Subregion.
EXCHANGE BETWEEN HUMANS
On Thursday’s D888 prepare from Vientiane to Kunming, Alunsak, a Laotian passenger who took his household to Kunming for the Lao New Yr holidays, was very happy to be one of many passengers on the primary day.
The primary cross-border passenger prepare departing from the Lao capital Vientiane to Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, runs over the Ganlanba Bridge of the China-Laos Railway in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, April 13, 2023. ( Xinhua/Shan Yuqi )
“I wish to invite Lao folks to come back on this historic prepare to China to see their nation, and invite Chinese language folks to go to Laos by way of the railway we’re growing collectively,” he mentioned, beaming with happiness.
Suklati, an worker who carried out Lao conventional songs and dances for the passengers, mentioned she felt glad and proud to be part of the occasion.
“The opening of this cross-border railway is essential as a result of it makes it handy for worldwide journey. College students and vacationers have one other method of journey to select from. It can assist the financial system, transport, commerce, tourism, and there will likely be extra folks coming and going,” she mentioned. she
“Cross-border passenger providers on the Sino-Laos Railway will assist the Lao authorities’s coverage of remodeling from a landlocked nation to a landlocked, regional and even international one,” mentioned Humphey Philapha, Director Normal of Laos. Info Company (KPL).
Thonglor Duangsavanh, editor-in-chief of the native day by day Vientiane Instances, mentioned that cross-border passenger transport will drastically contribute to the nationwide socio-economic growth of Laos and promote people-to-people exchanges between the 2 neighbors.
“This could go down within the historical past ebook of cooperation between Laos and China,” mentioned Suanesavan Vignaket, Laos’ minister of data, tradition and tourism, on the primary day of cross-border passenger transport.
THE PROSPERITY OF TOURISM
Within the vacationer city of Vang Vieng in northern Laos, locals splashed water to rejoice the Lao New Yr beneath the scorching April solar.
Regardless of its spectacular landscapes, equivalent to karst terrain and wonderful caves, Vang Viang has lengthy been little identified to the skin world because of the lack of transportation.
“For the reason that opening of the China-Laos Railway, it solely takes one hour to journey from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, and the ticket value is cheaper than the bus. The variety of vacationers coming to Vang Vieng is 2 to a few instances larger than prior to now,” mentioned Anhsamai Gnommilavong, passenger attendant at Vang Vieng station.
On New Yr’s holidays, ticket places of work at Vientiane and Vang Vieng stations had been crowded with passengers. Some had been going house to household gatherings, some to vacationer sights, and there have been vacationers from Europe and America.
Passengers enter the Vientiane Station of the China-Laos Railway in Vientiane, Laos, April 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
A Canadian vacationer named Michael informed Xinhua at Vang Vieng Station that it was the second time he had traveled to Laos together with his household.
“Final time, we solely visited Vientiane due to the inconvenient transportation. Now with the handy and comfy China-Laos Railway, we will journey in northern Laos. I believe this journey will likely be very nice,” he mentioned.
Statistics from the Lao Ministry of Info, Tradition and Tourism present that because the opening of the China-Laos Railway on December 3, 2021, it has boosted the Lao tourism financial system, with 85 % of vacationers from Vientiane to Luang Prabang selecting to journey by prepare.
As of Friday, there have been 3,049 passenger trains working on the Lao part of the China-Laos Railway, carrying 2.22 million passengers. This 12 months, there have been 834 passenger trains that transported 778,000 passengers. The common passenger load reached 97.85 %, and the most important variety of passengers per day was on March 4 – 10,197 folks.
Lao Minister Vignaket informed Xinhua that with the assist of the 2 international locations’ governments, the Lao-China Railway, a landmark venture of the Belt and Highway, has turned from a plan right into a actuality that may go down within the historical past of bilateral cooperation.
Liu Hong, CEO of Laos-China Railway Co. Ltd., mentioned that railways are simply the start line. The iron dragon, which carries the friendship, desires and hopes of two peoples, races in direction of a brilliant future. (Video reporters: He Chunhao, Ding Yiquan, Wang Anhaowei, Zhang Jianhua, Lin Hao, Solar Yi, Futaphone, Jiang Sai, Solar Ming, Zeng Wei; Video editors: Yang Zhixiang, Zhang Yuhong, Zhou San, Liu Ruoshi)
