Aerial photo taken on Jan. 6, 2022 shows an outbound freight train heading for Laos from Huaihua City, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

The first outbound train departed Thursday morning from an international land port of Huaihua City. This is Hunan's first international freight train heading for Laos after the China-Laos Railway started operation in December 2021.

The cargo train, carrying 72 containers of goods including local oranges, agricultural machinery, construction tools, ceramic tiles and daily necessities, will exit China via the port of Mohan in southwest China's Yunnan Province, and is expected to reach Vientiane after about four days.

The new route can reduce transportation time from Hunan to ASEAN countries by two-thirds compared with highway transportation.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in Yunnan Province with Vientiane. It is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries.

The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.