At 7:00 a.m., a fully loaded Lancang-Mekong Express international freight train, carrying Thai durian, arrived at Kunming’s Wangjiaying West Station after a 26-hour journey. While a portion of the shipment will supply the local market in Yunnan Province, the majority will be seamlessly transferred from rail to road and delivered within 48 hours to over 30 cities across China. These include Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang, enabling consumers nationwide to enjoy fresh durian without delay.
April marks the peak harvest season for durian in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. The China-Laos Railway, known for its high efficiency and large transport capacity, is helping to boost Thai durian sales in the Chinese market, making this tropical fruit more accessible and affordable for Chinese consumers.
According to railway authorities, the entire cold-chain process ensures freshness from the moment the durian was picked in Thai orchards. The fruits are quickly loaded into refrigerated containers and shipped via the China-Laos Railway, reaching Kunming in less than three days. As the durian season progresses, the railway is expected to transport over 200,000 metric tons of tropical fruits in 2026.
Since its launch, the China-Laos Railway network has continued to expand, now covering 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The variety of cross-border goods has grown from just a dozen categories, such as fertilizers and rubber at the line’s launch, to more than 3,800 today, including chemicals, textiles, electrical goods, ores, and agricultural products, injecting new vitality into regional prosperity and development.
At the Kunming cargo terminal of China United International Rail Containers Co., Ltd. (CRIntermodal), located in the China (Yunnan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), cargo is loaded and unloaded from trains on the China-Laos Railway.
Workers unload durian.
Cold-chain containers are neatly arranged at the Kunming cargo terminal of CRIntermodal.
