The first China-Laos-Thailand freight train departed from Kunming on Tuesday carrying nine cold-chain containers packed with about 280 tonnes of fresh vegetables for export to Laos and Thailand.
Xinhua News Agency reports that within fifty-five hours, the freight train will arrive in Bangkok after passing through Laos where it would make a quick stop for reloading more goods.
The train will stop at Vientiane Southern station before continuing to Bangkok on the Thai meter-gauge railway which reduces the travel time by one day and also decreases transportation costs by 20%.
While returning from Thailand, the train will carry seasonal fruits of longans and durian to China.
So far, cross-border transportation on Laos-China Railway has covered Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and some other nations connected through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with more than 1,200 varieties of goods being transported and a freight volume of over 2.5 million tons.
