A freight train loaded with goods departs from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to Vientiane, the Laotian capital, on Friday. [Photo by Qiu Quanlin/chinadaily.com.cn]

A freight train loaded with goods departed from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to Vientiane, the Laotian capital, on Friday afternoon.

The train, stacked with 35 twenty-foot equivalent units, will start its journey along the newly opened China-Laos Railway, after it arrives in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.

The 1,024-km China-Laos Railway, which opened on Friday, runs from Kunming, passing through a total of 13 passenger and freight stations in Yunnan, before leaving China at the Mohan port, heading for Vientiane.

It will take four days for the train to reach its destination in the Laotian capital, after leaving from Shenzhen's Pinghu South freight station, according to Sinotrans Ltd, one of the freight operators.

The new link, which uses Chinese equipment and technology, will help manufacturers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area further tap the Southeast Asia market, according to Sinotrans.