A new cold-storage rail service now connects Thailand, Laos, and China, enabling faster and cheaper durian shipments. This 'Durian Express' is expected to significantly reduce prices for the fruit in China, where over 90% of global durian exports are consumed.

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....