The Nanxi River grand bridge in southwest China’s Yunnan province along the China-Laos railway completed its final closure on Sept. 15, laying a solid foundation for the whole line to go into full operation.

The bridge, built by China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group, is a key project of the section between Yuxi and Mohan of the China-Laos railway.

The bridge is 920.3 meters in length and is supported by 14 piers, with the tallest standing at 129 meters. The bridge is considered one of the most challenging projects along the China-Laos railway.

The closure of the bridge indicates that 92.8 percent of the grand bridges and 92.7 percent of bridges along the section between Yuxi and Mohan of the China-Laos railway have been completed, according to the China Railway Kunming Group.

With a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers, the China-Laos railway is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2021. Visitors will be able to take overnight trains to Lao capital Vientiane from Yunnan’s Kunming city after the train service is launched.