Rail transport in Laos

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Laos has 414 km (257 mi) of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge railways, primarily consisting of the Boten–Vientiane railway, which opened in December 2021. It also has a 3 km (2 mi) metre gauge railway at Thanaleng terminus connected to Thailand's railway system.

History[]

Due to the mountainous geography of Laos, the country has not had substantial railway infrastructure, thus traditionally rail transport has not played a significant part in Laos's transport sector. This is expected to change with the opening of the Boten–Vientiane railway.[1][2]

A short portage railway, the Don Det – Don Khon narrow gauge railway, was built by the French while Laos was a part of French Indochina. The railway crossed over the islands of Don Det and Don Khon, enabling vessels, freight and passengers to travel along the Mekong River. The railway was abandoned and fell into disrepair, although some of the infrastructure is still in place.[3]

In the late 1920s, work began on the Thakhek–Tan Ap railway, that would have run between Thakhek, Khammouane Province and Tân Ấp Railway Station, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam through the Mụ Giạ Pass. However, the scheme was eventually aborted in the 1930s.[citation needed]

Link to Thailand[]

In January 2007 work began on a 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) extension of the metre-gauge State Railway of Thailand network across the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge to Thanaleng Railway Station, a new passenger and freight terminal in Dongphosy village, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Vientiane.[4] Test trains began running on 4 July 2008,[5] and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand formally inaugurated the line on 5 March 2009.[6][7] As of November 2010, Lao officials plan to convert the station into a rail cargo terminal for freight trains, allowing cargo to be transported from Bangkok into Laos at a lower cost than would be possible with road transport.[8] A shuttle train runs twice a day between the Nong Khai and Thanaleng stations.[9][10] Also occasionally the Eastern and Oriental Express.

Link to Vietnam[]

Main articles: Vientiane - Vũng Áng Railway and Savannakhet–Lao Bao railway

A line between Savannakhet and Lao Bao (Vietnam) has been planned since 2012. A line between Vientiane, and port in Hà Tĩnh Province (Vietnam) via Mụ Giạ Pass has also been discussed since 2007.[citation needed]

Link to China[]

Main article: Vientiane–Boten Railway

Laos has a long history of negotiating with China regarding the possibility of a joint railway project.[11]

In October 2010, plans were announced for a 530 kilometres (330 mi) standard gauge[12] railway linking Vientiane to Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan province in China.[13] Construction was expected to begin in 2011, for completion in 2014.[14][15] There were plans to extend this railway south from Vientiane to Bangkok.[16]

In October 2012, it was announced again that an agreement with China about the construction of a railway from Vientiane to the Chinese border is to be signed "within days". The project cost is quoted at $7 billion,[clarification needed] and the construction will be done by Chinese companies. The ground-breaking ceremony was planned for November 2012, and the completion of the project was expected by 2017.[11] In November 2012, the Laotian press was reporting that the money for the construction of the railway would be borrowed from the of China; the construction would be started in 2013, and complete in 2018.[12] As of March 2020 construction is well advanced, with completion scheduled for December 2021.

The rail link will go through China's Yunnan province, linking together Kunming, China with Vientiane to Dawei, Myanmar via Bangkok, Thailand.[17] On 23 February 2013, part of the new railway line started operations. It spans from Yuxi, south of Kunming, capital of Yunnan, to Mengzi on the route to the Vietnamese border, and is mainly intended for freight transport with a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph). The new line replaces the 100-year-old, 854 kilometres (531 mi) Kunming-Haiphong line, which had a speed of just 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph).[18]

On 2 December 2015, Laos with China officially began the construction of a railway from Vientiane to the Chinese border. The railway will stretch 427 kilometres (265 mi), from the Laos−China borderline in Phongsaly Province to Vientiane. The rail will be connected with the new railway bridge spanning the Mekong between Vientiane and Thailand's Nongkhai Province. The total project cost is estimated at 38.7 billion yuan (over US$6 billion), which is about 90.6 million yuan (approx. US$14 million) per kilometre.[clarification needed] China will be responsible for 70 per cent of the total investment, while Laos will bear the remainder. As of November 2021, construction has completed and the railroad is scheduled to open for domesic traffic in December 2021.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Transforming Lao PDR from a Land-locked to a Land-linked Economy". World Bank. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  2. ^ Brian King. "Chinese railway could put Laos on the tourist map". CNN. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  3. ^ The only railway (ever) in Laos The International Steam Pages
  4. ^ "Laos link launched". Railway Gazette International. 1 March 2007.
  5. ^ "Testing takes train into Laos". Railway Gazette International. 7 July 2008.
  6. ^ "Inaugural train begins Laos royal visit". Railway Gazette International. 5 March 2009.
  7. ^ Andrew Spooner (27 February 2009). "First train to Laos". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  8. ^ Rapeepat Mantanarat (9 November 2010). "Laos rethinks rail project". TTR Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  9. ^ rst: Laos/Thailand: New Border Crossing Thanaleng-Nong Khai. In: IBSE-Telegram 235 (June 2010), p. 6.
  10. ^ Brendan Whyte, The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Bangkok 2010. ISBN 978-974-480-157-9, p. 157.
  11. ^ a b Laos Says China to Finance Rail Link, The Wall Street Journal, 2012-10-24
  12. ^ a b Laos-China railways ready to roll, 2012-11-16
  13. ^ "NEW CHINA-LAOS LINK". Railways Africa. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  14. ^ "LAOS LINK WITH CHINA". Railways Africa. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Railway Gazette: China's horizons extend southwards". 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Railway Gazette: Cross-border construction soon". Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  17. ^ "China-Laos railway to commence". Investvine.com. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  18. ^ "China-ASEAN rail network advances". Investvine.com. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
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