Lao students attend a lecture inside a bullet train model at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College in 2022. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Three years ago when Souvannalath Koppy read about the opening of the China-Laos Railway he marveled at the technology.
"At the time, I thought that one day I want to stand in the driver's cabin of one of these trains and drive it," the Lao youth, now 22, said.
Koppy is now studying locomotive operations and maintenance at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College, and it can be only a matter of time before he sits at the controls of the real thing as it hurtles toward its next stop.
Koppy said the first time he operated the control lever in the simulator he was both excited and nervous, feeling as if he were driving a real train.
In August last year, 40 Lao students at the college completed two years of training and headed back to the Lao Railway Vocational Technical College in Vientiane.
They are pioneers in establishing Laos' railway talent development system, becoming the first railway teachers in the country's history. These graduates will play a vital role in training future generations of Lao railway professionals.
This collaboration between Kunming and Lao railway schools is part of a broader Belt and Road Initiative and China-Laos collaboration.
Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College supports its Lao counterpart with infrastructure, training and a partnership involving two years of training in Kunming for Lao teachers, followed by five years of on-site technical support in Laos by Chinese experts.
In June, the President of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, praised the project, saying the Lao college is an exemplar of Laos-China collaboration that has filled a gap in railway technology education in his country.
"Railways are at the heart of development in Laos," the Lao News Agency quoted him as saying.
"I call on young people to continue the cause of national protection and development and develop our railway."
The college principal Bounyalith Khanthachak said the initial enrollment quota was quickly exceeded, and 1,000 students are now expected over three years.
"To make the China-Laos Railway a lasting driver of socioeconomic growth, Laos must cultivate its own railway talent," said Feng Tao, vicedean of the Electrical Engineering School at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College.
"Our goal is to help Laos build a sustainable talent system within seven years, enabling its railway industry to grow from scratch."
Feng, an expert in bridge and tunnel construction of railway engineering, is the leader of the third Chinese expert team assisting the Lao Railway Vocational Technical College, trained Lao instructors in China in 2022 and is now in Vientiane for on-site teaching.
The college, about 15 kilometers northeast of Vientiane, is the first of its kind in Laos. Its setting reminds Feng of Yunnan province's rugged terrain and his own childhood curiosity about railways, inspired by his parents, his father having been a train driver and his mother a railways teacher.
Lao students take part in an internship program at the China Railway Kunming Group in 2023. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Transforming landscape
Decades ago, Yunnan's development was limited by its mountainous landscape, with goods transported by mule caravans. Today high-speed trains traveling back and forth on railway bridges have transformed the region. Feng sees his mission as being to take railway education to Laos, where resources are scarce. "Laos, like Yunnan, relies on railways for progress. Teaching in Vientiane is my way of passing on this legacy and inspiring the next generation."
The "bridge" that needs to be built goes far beyond just connecting mountains.
The absence of specialized railway terminology in the Lao language poses a significant challenge in teaching, with technical terms often requiring direct translation between Chinese and Laos.
To tackle this problem, the academy has simultaneously begun to develop Lao railway course plans and Lao-language teaching materials for students.
The academy has compiled the first 10 bilingual Chinese-Lao textbooks to support future teaching at the Lao Railway Vocational Technical College and assist Chinese teachers conducting instructional activities in Laos. The second series of 13 bilingual textbooks are being prepared.
Liu Yajing, an expert in railway signaling at Kunming Railway Vocational and Technical College, said the school has specifically arranged Lao-language training courses for teachers involved in the aid projects.
"We've taken basic Lao-language lessons to facilitate smoother communication, bridging the gap between two peoples. Once we understand each other, our hearts grow closer."
Silivong Phouthachack, one of the 40 students who graduated and now teaching in Vientiane, said: "China hasn't just built a railway for us; it's given us the tools to build our own railway professionals. This reflects China's commitment to sharing achievements in railway development with the world.
"We have learned China's railway technology and talent cultivation system, and I'm really excited to be able to bring what I've learned back to Laos."
In August, 14 Lao nationals who successfully completed a self-driven test were awarded train driver certificates. This marks the first time Lao people have received this recognition, according to the Laotian Times.
As of September, there were 992 Lao employees working on the front lines of the railway, including 14 train drivers, according to the Laos-China Railway Company, which is responsible for operating the Lao section of the China-Laos Railway.
