Kunming - As of Tuesday, the China-Laos Railway had operated 20,000 passenger trains and handled 10.3 million passenger trips since its launch in December 2021, the railway operator said Wednesday.

Passengers get on a train of the China-Laos Railway at Kunming Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 23, 2022. (Photo/Hu Chao, Xinhua)

The railway handled 8.7 million passenger trips for the China section, with daily passengers hitting 65,000. Meanwhile, 1.6 million passenger trips were logged in its Laos section, with the number of daily passengers reaching 8,800, said the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd.

The number of stations in Laos that can handle passenger service has increased from seven in the initial period to ten.

"The passenger volume of the China-Laos railway has continued to grow, and its service quality has greatly improved. The railway plays a positive role in providing convenient and efficient travel for the people of the two countries," said Zheng Bin, deputy stationmaster of Kunming Railway Station.

It is expected to launch cross-border passenger trains on the China-Laos railway this year to improve the passenger and cargo transport of the railway.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province with the Laotian capital Vientiane. The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.