Illustrative photo. (Source: magictravelblog.com)The Lao government plans to build at least four railways nationwide to link the “land of a million elephants” with other countries in the region, especially focusing on the Lao-China railway.
Construction of the railway connecting Laos and China’s Kunming city is scheduled to begin in November, Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchanh Sinthavong announced at a recent press conference.
He said that Laos and Thailand are joining together to construct a new bridge linking Vientiane and Thailand’s Nongkhai province in conformity with the region’s 3,000-kilometre railway system, which runs from China through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia before concluding in the Southeast Asian trade hub of Singapore.
The Lao government is also giving preference to a railway fusing Vientiane, Thakkek town in the central Lao province of Khammoune and Mu Gia district in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Binh. The 450-kilometre railway links with Vung Ang port in the central province of Ha Tinh and a port in Thailand as well as with the Kunming-Singapore railway system. Construction will begin at the end of this year.
The Lao developers and relevant authorities are considering the design of a 5-billion-USD railway connecting Savannakhet province and the Lao Bao border gate in the central province of Quang Tri. The project will make contributions to the Lao government’s efforts to link the East-West Economic Corridor.-VNA
