Thailand will connect with the Laos-China rail network in July 2024 for faster trade, easier travel, and a tourism boost for these countries.
In a strategic move to boost tourism and trade, Thailand is set to connect its national railway with the successful Laos-China rail network. This move will position Thailand as a key ‘logistics hub’ in the region.
Thailand-Laos-China rail network: Key details
According to a Nikkei Asia report, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Lao National Railway Authority are working on an official launch of the Thai-Lao rail network targeted for July 2024. This link will mark the first-ever direct rail connection between Thailand and China.
Officials of the State Railway of Thailand and the Managing Director of Lao National Railway Authority met on June 5, 2024, to strategise an ‘action plan’ to enhance the passenger experience, improve cargo transportation efficiency, and expedite customs procedures to facilitate trade between Thailand, Laos and southern China.
The Laos-China Railway, initially built to expedite cargo transit by reducing both costs and travel time, has also become a major tourist attraction, The Business Times reported. Launched in December 2021, the China-Laos high-speed train has been instrumental in taking Thai goods over the border to Vientiane, Laos, for onward rail transport to the southern Chinese city of Kunming.
Previously, this journey by truck through the mountainous route to China took roughly two days. The new 1,000-kilometre railway network has reduced that travel time to 15 hours.
(Feature image credit: WERAYUTH PIRIYAPORNPRAPA/Shutterstock)
This article originally appeared on Travel + Leisure Asia.
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A journalist, Pyusha has previously worked with media organisations including The New Indian Express and Hindustan Times. A solo traveller by choice, she loves exploring life more than anything else, after food of course. When she isn't gardening, writing, reading, cooking or singing out loud, you can spot her watching films and series, debating with friends or organising things unnecessarily.
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