The following article is sourced from China Railway, authored by China Railway

Yexianggu Station of China Laos Railway

Located in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Mengyang Town, Jinghong City

Named after its proximity to the Asian Elephant Nature Reserve

"Elephant" is the biggest feature of Wild Elephant Valley Station

Relevant elements can be seen everywhere here

Wild Elephant Valley Station. Photo by Yang Zixuan

Visiting the Wild Elephant Valley Station

Not only do elephants and tourists come from afar

As Yumo Section of China Laos Railway

The station with the largest freight volume

There are still many "good things" here

For example, Laotian beer

Lao Beer (2nd to 5th from left)

Lao beer is popular in Southeast Asia

Enjoy a good reputation internationally

How did it connect with the Wild Elephant Valley Station?

It also starts with the opening of the China Laos Railway

The China Laos railway freight train runs through the Friendship Tunnel. Photo by Yang Yongquan

Xishuangbanna Taiyuan Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd. has been engaged in the import and export trade of Laos beer for a long time. According to Teng Hailin, the general manager of the company, before the opening of the China Laos railway, they all chose road transportation. The prolonged rainy season in Laos has led to muddy and bumpy roads, slowed logistics speeds, and doubled cargo loss rates.

Specifically, before the opening of the China Laos railway, it will take about 10 days to transport to China by road from the loading of the beer factory in Vientiane, Laos; After the opening of the China Laos Railway, this time was shortened to 3 to 4 days, and the loss rate of goods transported by the railway was almost zero.

The busy Wild Elephant Valley freight yard is lined up with trucks transporting containers.

"After our goods arrive at the Yexianggu Station through the Mohan railway port, most of them do not need to be loaded or unloaded, and can continue to be shipped to various parts of the country, greatly improving transportation efficiency." Teng Hailin said that since the beginning of this year, the company has transferred all beer transportation to the railway, and the Laotian brewery located in Vientiane is now preparing to add a beer production line to meet the strong shipping demand.

After the opening of the China Laos Railway, the freight volume of the Yexianggu Station increased in a blowout manner. The gantry cranes in the freight yard kept running 24 hours a day, which was a busy scene every day.

According to He Chunrong, the director of the Wild Elephant Valley Station, the Wild Elephant Valley freight yard, which was originally designed to handle 750000 tons per year, completed 1.61 million tons in just 2022. As of now, the volume of goods sent is still continuously increasing, and the types of goods sent have expanded from iron ore and rubber to six major categories and 26 subcategories, including agricultural products, sugar, beer, etc.

"While strengthening freight loading and unloading and optimizing operational processes, we also need to consider green and environmental protection. The Yexianggu freight yard is busy with business, but mainly relies on clean and pollution-free container transportation, which has little impact on the surrounding environment." He Chunrong said that in the next step, they will strive to build Yexianggu Station into a green, efficient, and convenient modern freight benchmark station.

A clean and tidy Wild Elephant Valley freight yard.

With the opening of the China Laos Railway International Passenger Train, the Yexianggu Station also ushered in a new opportunity of "coexistence of people and elephants", and the smooth flow of goods. This station that makes people "like" will surely give a more moving luster