A China-Laos Railway (LCRC) train operating in the countryside. (Photo: railjournal.com)Vientiane (VNA) – The first international cross-borderpassenger train services between Laos and China officially began on April 13, withone train per day in each direction making the border crossing.
The trains operate between China's Kunming station andVientiane, Laos, taking 10 hours and 30 minutes, including two stops for customs andimmigration checks on both sides of the border. The border crossing alsoentails crossing a time zone, with the time in Laos being one hour earlier thanthe time in adjacent Yunnan.
The Laos-China train services departed Kunming South asTrain D887 at 08.08 China time. The services in the opposite direction departed Vientiane as Train D888 at 08.08 Laos time - with the number 8 being given suchprominence as it is seen as being particularly auspicious in both countries,especially in China.
Tickets for the services, which went on sale fromApril 11, are available both on the China Railway website and on the Laos-China Railway mobile phoneapp. In China, tickets can be bought at Kunming Main, Kunming South, Pu’er,Xishuangbanna and Mohan stations, while in Laos they can be obtained atVientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Boten stations.
First class tickets for the full journey areavailable for 760 CNY (110.57 USD) while second-class tickets are priced at 470CNY.
Both a passport and paper ticket/printout will berequired to cross the border, and passengers are also advised to check visa andCOVID-19 vaccination requirements, with the border stations being at Mohan inChina and Boten in Laos.
On the firstday, the train served more than 200 passengers departing from China’s Kunmingstation to Laos.
The Chinese and Lao governments hoped that the cross-bordertrain services will create favorable conditions for people of the two countriesto visit and travel by rail while promoting tourism development andother industries as well as economic and trade exchanges between the twocountries./.
