Transport in Laos

Boten–Vientiane railway crossing Vientiane–Boten Expressway

This article concerns the systems of transportation in Laos. Laos is a country in Asia, which possesses a number of modern transportation systems, including several highways and a number of airports. As a landlocked country, Laos possesses no ports or harbours on the sea, and the difficulty of navigation on the Mekong means that this is also not a significant transport route.

Geography and transport limits[]

A topographic map of Laos.

Because of its mountainous topography and lack of development, Laos has few reliable transportation routes. This inaccessibility has historically limited the ability of any government to maintain a presence in areas distant from the national or provincial capitals and has limited interchange and communication among villages and ethnic groups.

The Mekong and Nam Ou are the only natural channels suitable for large-draft boat transportation, and from December through May low water limits the size of the draft that may be used over many routes. Laotians in lowland villages located on the banks of smaller rivers have traditionally traveled in pirogues for fishing, trading, and visiting up and down the river for limited distances.

Otherwise, travel is by ox-cart over level terrain or by foot. The steep mountains and lack of roads have caused upland ethnic groups to rely entirely on pack baskets and horse packing for transportation.

The road system is not extensive. A rudimentary network begun under French colonial rule and continued from the 1950s has provided an important means of increased intervillage communication, movement of market goods, and a focus for new settlements. As of mid-1994, travel in most areas was difficult and expensive, and most Laotians traveled only limited distances, if at all. As a result of ongoing improvements in the road system started during the early 1990s, it is expected that in the future villagers will more easily be able to seek medical care, send children to schools at district centers, and work outside the village.

Railways[]

Rail transport in Laos
Thanaleng Station near Vientiane, Laos's only railway station
Operation
National railway	State Railway of Thailand
Statistics
Ridership	?
System length
Total	3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi)
Electrified	0 km (0 mi)
High-speed	0 km (0 mi)
Track gauge
Main	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Features
No. tunnels	0
No. stations	1
Highest elevation	on Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge

Rail transport does not play a significant part in Laos's transport sector, since the country largely lacks the required infrastructure. The importance of rail transport is expected to become significant once the Boten–Vientiane railway is completed.^[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.

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 July 4, 2008,^[5] and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand formally inaugurated the line on March 5, 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.

Links to Vietnam[]

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.

Link to China[]

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] However, in April 2011 it was reported that construction of the railway has been postponed indefinitely, while the Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun has been arrested on corruption charges.^[17]

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, 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 EXEM Bank 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 Yunnan province, linking together Kunming, China with Vientiane to Dawei, Myanmar via Bangkok, Thailand.^[18] On February 23, 2013, part of the new railway line started operations. It spans from Yuxi, south of Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan province, 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-Haiphone line, which had a speed of just 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph).^[19]

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. China will be responsible for 70 per cent of the total investment, while Laos will bear the remainder.

Highways[]

National Road 13 South

In Laos, there are 21,716 kilometres (13,494 mi) of roadway, of which 9,673.5 kilometres (6,010.8 mi) are paved, leaving 12,042.5 kilometres (7,482.9 mi) unpaved.^[when?] Right-hand traffic (RHT) is observed in Laos.

Laos constructed a new highway in 2007 connecting Savannakhet to the Vietnamese border at Lao Bao, with funding from the Japanese government.^[20] This has greatly improved transport across Laos. This highway can be traversed in a few hours, while in 2002 the trip took over nine hours.

Laos is connected across the Mekong River to Thailand by First and Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges. Vientiane is linked to Nong Khai by the First Friendship Bridge. The Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge began construction in March 2009 linking Nakhon Phanom Province in northeastern Thailand and Khammouane Province in Laos. It was completed on 11 November 2011.

Laos opened a highway connection to Kunming in April 2008. The Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge opened to the public on 11 December 2013 linking Kunming to Bokeo, Laos and Chiang Rai. It reduces travel time to five hours.

Expressway[]

Vientiane toll station of the Vientiane–Boten Expressway

On 20 December 2020, the Vientiane–Vang Vieng Expressway, the first expressway in Laos, was completed.^[21] Construction began at the end of 2018 and was initially scheduled to finish in 2021. The road, which includes twin tunnels almost 900 metres long through Phoupha Mountain, shortens the route by 43 km as compared with the existing Route No 13. The expressway toll is 550 kip per kilometre, or about 62,000 kip for a one-way trip between Vientiane and Vang Vieng. The Vientiane-Vang Vieng expressway is the first section of a planned expressway from Vientiane through the northern provinces to Boten in Luang Namtha Province, which borders China.^[22]

National Route list[]

• Route 1 Rantouy, (Chana border)-Attapeu (Cambodia border)
• Route 2 Thai Chang border-Muang Ngeun border
• Route 3 Boten-Ban Houayxay
• Route 4 Luang prabang-Kenethao
• Route 5 Tha Heua--Vietnam border
• Route 6 Phou Lao-Namsoi border
• Route 7 Phou Khoun-Namcan border
• Route 8 Vienkham-Laksao-Namphao border
• Route 9 Savanakhet-Lao bao border
• Route 10 Vientiane capital-Bankeun-Phonhone
• Route 11 Vientiane-Paklay
• Route 12 Thakhek-Chalo border
• Route 13 Boten border-Viengtiane-Veunkham border
• Route 14 Pakse-Champasak town-Cambodia border
• Route 15 Napong-Salavan-Lalay border
• Route 16 Chongmek-Pakse-Paxong-xekong-Namgiang border
• Route 17 Luang Namtha-Muang Sing-Xiengkok
• Route 18 Thang Beng-Attapeu-Phukuea border
• Route 19 Ban Pakha kao-Boun Neua-Pongsaly-Hatsa-Vietnam border
• Route 20 Lak21,Pakse-Salavan

Water transport[]

About 4,587 kilometres (2,850 mi) of navigable water routes exist in Laos, primarily the Mekong and its tributaries. There are an additional 2,897 kilometres (1,800 mi) of water routes, which is sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in).

Laos has an ocean-going merchant marine consisting of one cargo ship of 2,370 gross tonnage (GT).^{[citation needed]}

Pipelines[]

Laos has 136 kilometres (85 mi) of pipelines for the transport of petroleum products.

Airports[]

Wattay Airport, Vientiane.

Laos possesses 52 airports, of which nine have paved runways. Of the airports with paved runways, Wattay International Airport in Vientiane has a runway length of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). Of the remainder, four have runways 1,524 metres (5,000 ft) to 2,437 metres (7,995 ft) length, and a further four have lengths between 914 metres (2,999 ft) and 1,523 metres (4,997 ft).

Of the airports without unpaved runways, one has a runway length of more than 1,524 metres (5,000 ft). Seventeen have runway lengths between 914 metres (2,999 ft) and 1,523 metres (4,997 ft), leaving 25 with a lengths below 914 metres (2,999 ft).

See also[]

• Laos
• Lao Airlines
• Vientiane
• Railway stations in Laos

References[]

External links[]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Transport in Laos.

• UN Map of Laos
• Map of railways in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam – does not show Thailand or China

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.