GBA opens first cold-chain freight train for Laos, Thailand

A cold-chain freight train carrying 1,120 tons of goods including malt, vegetables and sweets left Pinghu South National Logistics Hub in Shenzhen for Laos and Thailand Thursday morning.

The train is scheduled to arrive in Laos in 5 days and Thailand in 7 days. It is the first international cold chain train departing from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) since the opening of the China-Laos Railway in December last year, marking the official operation of a new cold chain logistics channel between the GBA and the ASEAN region.

According to the manager of the Pinghu South National Logistics Hub, cold chain logistics mainly transports fresh food such as meat, vegetables, aquatic products and pharmaceutical products like vaccines which require a certain temperature.

It is learned that the freight train will bring back tropical fruits of Thailand on its return trip.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in Southwest China's Yunnan province with the Lao capital, Vientiane. It is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries, adopting Chinese standards, and directly linking to China's railway network.