China-Laos railway carried 244,000 cross-border passengers in the first eight
months of the year, up more than 50% versus the same period in 2025, with 972
international passenger trains operated, China Railway Kunming Group said. Since
international service began on April 13, 2023, daily service between Kunming
South and Vientiane runs four trains; the fastest journey takes 9h36m.
Cross-border passenger seats have increased from 250 at launch to 420, and daily
border crossings rose from about 300 to a peak of 1,640. Through Sept. 7 the
The railway has run 3,789 international passenger trains, carrying 926,000
passengers from more than 120 countries and regions.
