The first batch of Laotian drivers on the China-Laos Railway has received the license allowing them to drive the bullet train independently, opening a new chapter for Laos’ railway industry.
“This is a major event in the history of Lao transport development and a milestone of the joint efforts between Laos and China to cultivate railway talents for Laos,” said Lao Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport Saysongkham Manodham.
His comments came when presenting the licenses to the 14 drivers during a ceremony on Aug 5 at Vientiane Station in the Laotian capital.
Under the close cooperation between the governments of Laos and China, the railway — a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and bilateral friendship — was inaugurated on Dec 3, 2021, and has been safely operated for 976 days as of Aug 5, said Saysongkham.
The 1,035-kilometer railway connects Vientiane with Kunming, the capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan province.
The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards.
Saysongkham said the project has helped Laos to build a modern standard-gauge railway management system from scratch.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Education and Sports Phout Simmalavong, Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union Monxay Laomuaxong, and Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Phongsaisack Inthalath also attended the ceremony.
In June 2020, the Laos-China Railway Co (LCRC), a joint venture based in Vientiane responsible for the operation of the Laotian section of the railway, recruited the first batch of local locomotive driver trainees.
After theoretical study, practical training, mentorship, and on-site training, a total of 66 assistant drivers were selected.
By the end of 2023, about 30 assistant drivers crossed the mileage requirement of 100,000 km. The company then selected 12 assistant drivers of electric locomotives and two assistant drivers of internal combustion locomotives.
After eight months of training, all 14 young Laotians have passed the relevant qualification examinations.
Upon receiving their licenses, they vowed to be the engine of national railway development and practitioners of the China-Laos community with a shared future.
Somxay Laolion, 24, is among the young Laotian drivers who can now drive independently on the China-Laos Railway.
In 2021, he was assigned to report to the top leaders of both countries at the opening ceremony about the readiness of the train and rode the inaugural train with his Chinese mentor.
At Saleumxay’s order, the Aug 5 ceremony ended with a fully loaded train, independently driven by a Laotian driver, leaving the station headed for Kunming.
The Chinese railway department also provided Laos with various systems for advanced railway technical standards, talent training, and vocational skills appraisal.
It also dispatched long-term experts to Laos to help the Southeast Asian country build its own railway network and talent.
“In the next step, we will make full use of the teaching resources in Chinese railway colleges and the Lao Railway Vocational and Technical College to build a world-class Lao railway talent team, promoting the high-quality development of the China-Laos railway,” said Liu Hong, general manager of the LCRC.