China-Laos Railway international passenger trains have transported more than 1 million inbound and outbound passengers

[ASEAN Special Line] China-Laos Railway international passenger trains have transported more than 1 million inbound and outbound passengers

China News Service, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, October 15th (Catch Four Huang Yuanfei) The Mohan Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station reported on the 15th that the China-Laos Railway international passenger trains have operated more than 4,000 times since its opening, with an average annual growth rate of inbound and outbound passengers exceeding 30%, and the cumulative number of inbound and outbound passengers from more than 120 countries and regions in the world has exceeded 1 million.

The China-Laos Railway international passenger train will be opened on April 13, 2023, enabling same-day access from Kunming, Yunnan, China to Vientiane, Laos. The Mohan Railway Port is located on the China-Laos border in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. As an important hub on the China-Laos railway, it has become China's largest railway port with ASEAN.

According to statistics from the Mohan Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, since its opening, the China-Laos Railway international passenger train has transported more than 151,000 foreign passengers in and out. Among them, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia ranked the top three in terms of the number of tourists, and their entry and exit purposes were mostly for sightseeing and leisure, visiting relatives and friends, and employment and business. During China’s National Day holiday this year, more than 58% of foreign tourists entered the country without visas at the Mohan Railway Port.

The improvement of travel conditions has significantly reduced the cost of cross-border travel. Tamani Peng, an international student from Laos, said, "It used to take two to three days to get there by international bus. Now you can get to China in one day by taking the China-Laos Railway."

In order to actively respond to the travel needs of passengers from various countries and ensure the efficient operation of international passenger trains on the China-Laos Railway, the Mohan Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station has innovatively implemented more than 10 customs clearance facilitation measures such as passenger classification and diversion, group appointment customs clearance, the establishment of a 240-hour dedicated visa-free transit channel, and online declaration of foreign entry cards. Intelligent equipment such as smart verification desks, fast lanes, and real-time translators have also been used to shorten passenger border inspection time by more than 30%. (over)