The China-Laos Railway started cross-border passenger services on Thursday, a move that is expected to boost regional connectivity.

The first passenger train departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 8:08 a.m. (Beijing Time), heading for the Lao capital Vientiane.

The railway can now operate trains in both directions between Kunming and Vientiane, allowing passengers to reach their destination on the same day.

There are eight stations along the way – Kunming, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan within the Chinese section and Moten, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane within the Lao section. The whole journey is expected to take 10.5 hours, including time for border control customs clearance.

The 1,035-kilometer China-Laos Railway, linking Kunming with Vientiane, went into service on December 3, 2021. The international railway is a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative, which transforms Laos into a land-linked hub.

As of April 9, the China-Laos Railway has transported 18.38 million tonnes of goods, among which 3.59 million tonnes were cross-border cargo. Meanwhile, both sections of the railway also handled a total of 13.93 million passenger trips, according to data from China Railway.