Tracks of change lead to prosperity(4)

Visitors impressed

Chen Yali, 29, a tourist from Hunan province in Central China, said she traveled by air to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan in order to take the China-Laos Railway for a three-day Lao trip.

"I teach English and history at a rural school and we talk a lot about the BRI, which makes me very interested in the railway project," said Chen. "The overall travel experience was very simple and the cross-border check was not as difficult as we had imagined."

After completing his trip in Laos, Umberto Disperati, a 30-year-old tourist from Italy, took the China-Laos Railway to start his first trip to China in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

"I was intending to travel from Laos to China and after looking on the internet I found out that (the railway) was the easiest way instead of taking flights," said Disperati. "It was easy to navigate the train station. It is huge and the train is quite clean and new."

Disperati said he hopes the train can open ticket bookings more in advance so he can better plan his trip.

For Laotian train driver Somxay, operating the China-Laos railway makes him feel proud.

Somxay said his shifu always tells him that every move they make will affect the safety of the passengers and the steady operation of the railway.

"When I was standing on the platform and saw the long train cars moving past the station quickly, I felt the responsibility and was really proud," said Somxay.

"I am driving the best, fastest and steadiest train in Laos," he said.

Somxay is now preparing for a test, which if he passes, will allow him to drive the train independently in the future.