The China-Laos Railway officially started cross-border passenger services on Thursday, a move that is expected to boost regional connectivity.
The first batch of passengers taking the first cross-border passenger train were greeted with warm welcome by Lao officials and staff members upon their arrival at Vientiane station.
A milestone in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the 1,035-km-long China-Laos Railway stretches from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province to the Lao capital Vientiane. According to officials, two trains with multi-language services will run in opposite directions each day, departing from Kunming and Vientiane, respectively.