China-Laos Railway Offers Express Delivery for ASEAN Tropical Fruits

Kunming (ANTARA) - Functioning as a “golden route” for tropical fruit commodities from Southeast Asian countries to enter China, the China-Laos Railway leverages its logistical efficiency to help durian from the region reach the Chinese market.

Durian from across Southeast Asia, including varieties from Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia, is now entering its peak harvest season.

This month, Lancang-Mekong Express freight trains on the China-Laos Railway, carrying fresh durian from Thailand, arrive every morning in Kunming, the capital of China’s southwestern Yunnan Province, after completing the cross-border journey in just 26 hours.

In addition to portions destined for the local market in Yunnan, most of this durian reaches more than 30 cities in China, including Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang, within 48 hours via intermodal rail and road transport routes.

This ensures that consumers across China can enjoy fresh Thai durian with minimal waiting time.

Recently, Thailand has been exporting 1,500 refrigerated containers of durian to China every day. Tropical fruits from Southeast Asia, including durian and mangosteen, are transported via the China-Laos Railway, which offers fast customs processes, short transit times, and low product damage rates.

This transport volume is estimated to peak in mid-to-late April, according to China Railway Kunming Group.

To meet the surge in demand during the peak sales season, Chinese and Laotian railway authorities have increased the frequency of Lancang-Mekong Express freight trains from two to six trips per day.

“We have opened a ‘green channel’ for durian transport, prioritising unloading, transshipment, delivery, and customs stages. After the train arrives, we strictly adhere to operational standards to complete vehicle unloading and container transfers within 90 minutes,” said He Ruiqi, a staff member at China Railway Kunming Group station.

She also revealed that China Railway Kunming Group has deployed more than 4,000 specialised refrigerated containers for durian transport to ensure adequate cold chain capacity during the peak sales season.

Chinese and Laotian railway authorities provide comprehensive cold chain services for durian shipments.

Shortly after being harvested in Thai plantations, durian is quickly loaded into refrigerated containers and sent via the China-Laos Railway express service, arriving in Kunming in less than three days, she added.

With the arrival of the peak season for durian, mangosteen, and other Southeast Asian tropical fruits, the total volume of tropical fruits transported via the China-Laos Railway in 2026 is estimated to exceed 200,000 tons, according to local railway authorities.