Since its opening, the China-Laos Railway has witnessed strong growth in both passenger and freight transport. The range of cross-border goods has expanded from more than 10 categories at the initial stage, such as fertilizers and general merchandise, to over 3,800 categories including electronics, photovoltaic products and cold-chain fruits. Cross-border freight services now cover 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and 19 Belt and Road partner countries. Freight train operation models have become increasingly diversified, with services such as the “Yunnan-Vientiane Express” international freight train and “China-Laos Railway + CRE train” operating on a regular basis, continuously improving transport efficiency and service quality.

　　Data show that cross-border freight volume on the China-Laos Railway has grown rapidly. In 2025, it transported 5.46 million tons of cross-border goods, up 14% year-on-year. Since the beginning of this year, the railway has maintained strong growth momentum, with an average daily cross-border freight volume of 15,000 tons. In particular, the volume of imported goods has continued to rise. High-quality agricultural products such as rubber, durian and mangosteen from Southeast Asian countries are continuously transported via the China-Laos Railway to Yunnan province and then distributed nationwide. Meanwhile, China’s machinery, household appliances, textiles and photovoltaic products are rapidly delivered to Laos via the railway and further transported to neighboring countries, promoting economic and trade exchanges and industrial cooperation across the region.

　　Railway authorities have continued to optimize transport organization and customer services, strengthened coordination with customs and other departments, and promoted fast customs clearance and transit models to enhance the facilitation of cross-border logistics. Efforts have also been made to develop “door-to-door” full-process logistics services on the China-Laos Railway, effectively reducing overall logistics costs.