Cross-border rail proved to be one of the winners of China’s first fully re-opened Lunar New Year season. Operators of the 1,035-kilometre China–Laos Railway reported handling 12,900 international passenger trips between Kunming and Vientiane from 15 to 23 February—up 41.8 percent on last year’s holiday, with inbound traffic from Laos to China increasing an eye-catching 52.7 percent.
Since its launch in late 2021 and the introduction of dedicated international passenger services in April 2023, the route has quietly become a Belt-and-Road success story, linking more than 560 tourist sites and slashing door-to-door travel time between southwest China and the Lao capital from two days to roughly ten hours. To date, over 700,000 travellers from 124 countries have used the corridor.
For anyone navigating visa requirements along this corridor, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The service’s China section (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers clear guidelines, online applications, and courier support for both Chinese and Lao visas, helping corporate mobility teams and individual passengers avoid border holdups and make the most of the new rail link.
![China–Laos Railway logs 42 % jump in cross-border passengers during holiday rush]()
For mobility and assignment managers the rail option is changing cost models. A second-class through-ticket costs about one-third of a Kunming–Vientiane airfare, yet offers Wi-Fi, power outlets and seamless onward connections to China’s high-speed network. Companies moving project teams between the two countries are already leveraging the rail line for rotation travel and equipment shipments, taking advantage of easier customs procedures at the Mohan-Boten border station.
The Kunming Group of China Railway said it will add two extra train pairs every Friday-to-Monday through March to cope with sustained demand. Lao authorities meanwhile confirmed that fast-track immigration counters for rail passengers will remain in place at Thanaleng, reducing clearance times to under ten minutes.
Longer term, planners should watch for the planned extension of the route southward toward Bangkok, which would create a continuous overland corridor from Beijing to central Thailand—potentially a game-changer for regional project logistics and short-term assignments.
Since its launch in late 2021 and the introduction of dedicated international passenger services in April 2023, the route has quietly become a Belt-and-Road success story, linking more than 560 tourist sites and slashing door-to-door travel time between southwest China and the Lao capital from two days to roughly ten hours. To date, over 700,000 travellers from 124 countries have used the corridor.
For anyone navigating visa requirements along this corridor, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The service’s China section (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers clear guidelines, online applications, and courier support for both Chinese and Lao visas, helping corporate mobility teams and individual passengers avoid border holdups and make the most of the new rail link.
For mobility and assignment managers the rail option is changing cost models. A second-class through-ticket costs about one-third of a Kunming–Vientiane airfare, yet offers Wi-Fi, power outlets and seamless onward connections to China’s high-speed network. Companies moving project teams between the two countries are already leveraging the rail line for rotation travel and equipment shipments, taking advantage of easier customs procedures at the Mohan-Boten border station.
The Kunming Group of China Railway said it will add two extra train pairs every Friday-to-Monday through March to cope with sustained demand. Lao authorities meanwhile confirmed that fast-track immigration counters for rail passengers will remain in place at Thanaleng, reducing clearance times to under ten minutes.
Longer term, planners should watch for the planned extension of the route southward toward Bangkok, which would create a continuous overland corridor from Beijing to central Thailand—potentially a game-changer for regional project logistics and short-term assignments.
