EVEN after the summer transportation peak, the China-Laos Railway remains a bustling hub for international freight, as front-end loaders at Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, shuttle busily to load and unload cold-chain containers brimming with durian.
Nearby, the Hongyun International Logistics Port covers an area of about 161,300 square metres. “At the end of 2023, we integrated railway logistics with a comprehensive park,” said Li Rongping, chairman of Hongyun International Supply Chain.
This setup provides customers with one-stop services, including warehousing, distribution, packaging, and container storage and repair, Li added.
During the peak durian season, efficient transfer operations take place daily at the container handling platform of the logistics port. In under 40 minutes, around 18 tonnes of durian are transferred from railway containers to trucks and then transported to nearby fruit markets.
“Through the China-Laos Railway’s Lancang-Mekong Express, goods can be delivered from Vientiane, Laos, to Kunming in just 26 hours,” said Ou Daoqing, head of the marketing department at the starting station of the Kunming International Land Port.
The railway ensures a steady, fast supply of Southeast Asian durian, keeping the fruit fresh and flavourful for Chinese consumers.
Since its official opening on 3 December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has served as a convenient logistics channel between China and ASEAN, with continuously upgraded transport services.
“In early 2022, China Railway Kunming Group Co Ltd launched the ‘Lancang-Mekong Express’ that offers fixed arrival times and faster customs clearance and operation speeds compared to other international cargo trains,” said Tian Haowen with the Kunming bureau of China State Railway Group.
Before the railway, Southeast Asian durian entered China by road or sea, facing challenges like long transit time, weather-related delays, and damage to the fruit.
“The China-Laos Railway has significantly reduced both the damage rate and transport costs for imported durian,” said Wang Hao, general manager of a Sichuan-based import and export company.
Xinhua
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