Passengers arrive at Mengla Railway Station in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 14, 2023. As of Tuesday, the Laos - China Railway had operated 20,000 passenger trains and handled 10.3 million passenger trips since its launch in December 2021, the railway operator said Wednesday.

(Photo by Xu Zhangwei/Xinhua)

(KPL/Xinhua) As of Tuesday, the Laos - China Railway had operated 20,000 passenger trains and handled 10.3 million passenger trips since its launch in December 2021, the railway operator said Wednesday.

The railway handled 8.7 million passenger trips for the China section, with daily passengers hitting 65,000. Meanwhile, 1.6 million passenger trips were logged in its Laos section, with the number of daily passengers reaching 8,800, said the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd.

The number of stations in Laos that can handle passenger service has increased from seven in the initial period to ten.

"The passenger volume of the Laos - China railway has continued to grow, and its service quality has greatly improved. The railway plays a positive role in providing convenient and efficient travel for the people of the two countries," said Zheng Bin, deputy stationmaster of Kunming Railway Station.

It is expected to launch cross-border passenger trains on the Laos - China railway this year to improve the passenger and cargo transport of the railway.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane. The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.

KPL