Lao officials meet their Thai counterparts in Vientiane to discuss the construction of a cross-border railway.

Laos, Thailand mull plans
for Vientiane-Nong Khai railway

Officials from Laos and Thailand met in Vientiane last week to discuss the construction of a railway that will link Vientiane and Nong Khai province and also connect to the Laos-China Railway.
Laos’ Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Viengsavath Siphandone, held talks with Thailand’s Minister of Transport, Mr Saksayam Chidchob and his delegation when Thailand’s Department of Rail Transport outlined the progress of work on the project.
The two sides discussed railway passenger and freight connectivity, the possibility of using the old railway bridge, and the installation of a common control area at Thanaleng in Vientiane and at Nong Khai and Na Tha stations in Thailand.
The meeting also considered the construction of a new bridge across the Mekong. The Lao and Thai delegations discussed the design of the new bridge and railway as well as the scope of the project.
In addition, they discussed cooperation in human resource development.
Mr Viengsavath recommended that the minutes of the meeting be compiled to form the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding, to formalise the outcome of the talks.
According to a report in the Thai newspaper The Nation, the project will involve the construction of a railway linking Nong Khai to Vientiane, where it will connect to the China-Laos Railway which runs to Kunming in China.
The extended railway will be a boon for tourists and cross-border trade between the three countries.
Under the first phase of the project, the Thailand-Laos Railway will have four stations – Na Tha and Nong Khai in Thailand and Thanaleng and Vientiane Khamsavath in Laos.
In the second phase, the track will be extended south to Udon Thani and Nakhon Ratchasima stations in Thailand, with two trains running daily from Nakhon Ratchasima to Vientiane Khamsavath and back.
The final phase will see the route further extended to Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok, with two return trips a day between Bangkok and Vientiane Khamsavath.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update October 11, 2022)