This was David’s first public rail talk since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. He attended the Modern Railways expo and gave a talk about his recently-completed journey on the China-Laos Railway, going into it from many factors — passenger tickets, station designs, and more.

Effortlessly by rail across borders

In Europe, it’s easy to cross borders by rail. China, of course, is a much larger country, thus it takes a much longer journey to get to the border. Even here, especially after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, international lines have reopened — first to Laos, then later, to Mongolia. (Cross-border trains between Mainland China and Hong Kong already resumed service in January 2023.)

A picture of David Feng giving a presentation about the China-Laos Railway (Luang Prabang station)
David Feng introducing stations along the line, including Luang Prabang railway station in Laos

The China-Laos railway was the first international rail line to reopen when the borders fully reopened. Passengers could use the Friendship Tunnel to cross the border for the first time on 13 April 2023.

This line is by far the most important railway line in Laos, connecting major settlements and urban areas including Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Boten. Heading further north, the line crosses into China and to Mohan, Sipsong Panna/Xishuangbanna, Pu’er, and finally, Kunming.

As part of the talk, David also “extended” this line further north to the capital of China, Beijing, by taking a look at special stations in a routing to pass through Sichuan, Shaanxi, and finally, into Beijing.

A picture of David Feng talking about tickets used on the China-Laos railway
Travel tickets on the China-Laos Railway — printed in the respective countries’ languages

The talk was mostly centred on the more passenger- and station-related aspects of the line, but some details, including tickets, border stamps, and immigration/customs procedures, were also shared.

The talk ended with David sharing some of his rail views, especially as Beijing was focused on “high quality” railways. Through his own engagements over the years, including during the difficult pandemic years, projects and campaigns such as Everyday Rail English, continue to do their part in improving the railways of China as it continues to get international.

Quick facts:

  • Talk delivered 14 November 2023 local time
  • Modern Railways Expo, China International Exhibition Centre (Chaoyang Venue), Beijing, China
  • Spoken delivery in Mandarin Chinese (English + Chinese (simplified) slides), c. 30 minutes