Vientiane rail track on the way

NONGKHAI, 2 September, 2010 — Construction of a railway line from Tha Na Laeng near the Thai-Lao border, adjacent to Thailand’s Nong Khai province, to Vientiane city is expected to begin this December, railway officials confirmed Friday.

The project will eventually connect Vientiane City to the main Bangkok-Nong Khai line, but will take three years to complete

Lao National Railway Authority, chief of Ta Na Laeng station, Khamphet Sisamouth, told TTR Weekly that the Thai government granted a low-interest loan of US$50 million to Laos to construct a 9 km track extension from near the border to the Lao capital. The main station will be located at Khamsavat village in Xaysettha district, 4 km from the capital’s That Luang Temple.

“When completed, the train will operate four services a day from Vientiane to the border station,” he said.

Currently, there are about 2,500 to 3,000 passengers a day on the Nong Khai-Tha Na Laeng international train. The line extends from the bridge at Nong Khai covering 4 km. The train has two carriages which carry up to 80 passengers each. The fare is just Bt20 one-way.

Once the line to Vientiane opens it will be possible to travel from Bangkok to Nong Khai by train and then connect with the train all the way to the capital. Today, trains cross the bridge and end their journey at Tha Na Laeng station just 4 km from the border in Dongphosy village, Hadxaifong district. The station and line were opened last March. This is the first and only commercial rail line in the country.