During the 1–7 October National Day holiday the China-Laos Railway carried more than 530,000 passengers, of which 467,000 travelled on the Chinese section, according to China Railway Kunming Group. To cope with demand, the operator added 386 temporary services and increased capacity on high-load routes such as Kunming–Xishuangbanna and Kunming–Pu’er. Twenty-eight round-trip international trains ran between Kunming and Vientiane during the week, transporting over 6,700 cross-border passengers—nearly triple the figure recorded during the 2025 holiday. On 1 October single-day passenger traffic in Yunnan Province topped 616,000, a record for the region’s rail network. Rail authorities also used the holiday as a pilot for experiential marketing: trains featured on-board ethnic dance performances and market-style carriages selling local produce, turning mobility infrastructure into a moving showcase for regional culture and agriculture. The move generated positive social-media buzz and incremental ancillary revenue. For travel managers, the figures highlight the importance of securing holiday-period rail tickets well in advance, especially for expatriates unfamiliar with China’s 12306 booking system. The added frequency demonstrates the railway’s ability to scale quickly, reducing the risk of supply-chain or personnel-movement bottlenecks during peak seasons. Looking ahead, China Railway plans to introduce a bilingual mobile ticketing interface and accept additional foreign credit-card brands by end-2027, further lowering barriers for international business travellers.
Source: Ecns.cn
