The Laos section of China’s first international railway connecting the Laos capital of Vientiane with Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province was completed ahead of its official opening in December 2021. The Laos-China railway is the first project under China’s Belt and Road initiative to be completed in Southeast Asia. 1,000 km long, the railway consists of the Laos section from Vientiane to the northern Laos-China border of Boten, as well as the Chinese section from Mohan to Kunming.
The first electric multiple unit (EMU)train was delivered to the Vientiane Station on 15 October 2021, marking a new milestone for the project. The 720 seat train consists of nine carriages and can travel at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, according to the China State Railway Group. Once fully operational, the travel time from Kunming to Vientiane will be shortened to less than a day. Construction for the railway beganin 2016 with an estimated total costof US$5.9 billion.
