Citing statistics from the Ministry of Information

The railway, which has also cut transportation costs between China and Laos by 20 to 40 percent and has more than halved freight transportation time—compared with the time transporting freight on roads—has also helped boost consumption among residents who live along the line, as they are now traveling and shopping more, the survey shows.

Phakhasith Phomchlueth, consul general of the Laotian Consulate in Shanghai, said at the symposium that the opening of the railway has changed the way people travel in northern Laos, and has promoted trade and cultural exchanges.

Citing statistics from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, Phomchlueth said that most of the passengers traveling from Vientiane to Luang Prabang prefer to travel by train, which currently transports about 2,700 passengers between the two cities each day.