Southeast Asian growers can now ship durians to China faster than before using a new cold-storage rail service linking Thailand, Laos and southwest China’s Yunnan province, slashing prices for the pungent fruit.

The first goods train laden with durians from Thailand – China’s biggest source of the fruit – began winding its way north through Laos to China over the weekend, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday.

More than 90 per cent of the world’s durian exports – worth about US$7.5 billion last year – reach China, where the odorous fruit is so highly prized that it is often gifted at formal events. A single durian weighing 6kg (13lbs) fetches up to 200 yuan (US$29) in the country.

China has been working to build a rail network connecting it with nations across Southeast Asia for years. The China-Laos railway has been operational since 2021, and the line has also been integrated with existing services to Thailand.

The new cold-storage rail connection – which features carriages chilled to 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit) – runs from Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port via Laos to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, according to CCTV.

Trainloads of Thai durians will now reach Kunming each morning, with the service expected to transport more than 200,000 tonnes of the tropical fruit this year, People’s Daily reported. The journey to Kunming takes three days.

Thanks to the rail link, shipping Thai durians to Chengdu – a major city in China’s southwest – now takes just five days, compared with about a week before. Imported durian prices have dropped 30 per cent due to the increase in supplies, CCTV said.