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Thai-Lao train service launched

By: BangkokPost.com Published: 5/03/2009 at 03:41 PM The first railway line connecting Thailand and Laos was officially opened on Thursday, aiming to boost tourism and trade.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening ceremony of the 3.5km track connecting Nong Khai Province and Thanaleng station in Laos.

After the ceremony, she boarded a Laos-bound service across the Mekong river as the first passenger.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Lao Deputy Prime Minister Boonyoung Worlajit also attended the ceremony.

State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Yutthana Thapcharoen said about 500 passengers were expected to use the train each day once it begins regular passenger services.

The train will make four round trips a day over the Mekong river. A third-class ticket will cost 20 baht and second-class 80 baht, he said.

If citizens from either country do not have a passport to present for a visa, they will be able to ask checkpoint officials for a temporary border pass, he said.

The SRT and Laos have agreed to extend the rail service from Thanaleng to Vientiane, 25km away, in the near future, the governor added.

The railway was financed by Thailand with total funding of 197 million baht (about US$5.4 million).

The second phase is expected to cost about one million baht.

Laos imports consumer products and construction materials from Thailand while it exports agricultural products and timber to Thailand.

Bron: BangkokPost.

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HRH Princess Sirindhorn presides at inauguration of historic cross-Mekong rail service

By Thai News Agency, The Nation

**Nong Khai - HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided at the inaugural ceremony for passenger rail service linking the northeastern Thai province of Nong Khai and the Lao PDR border town of Thanaleng on the Mekong River near Vientiane, the capital. **

Princess Sirindhorn departed from the nearby Udon Thani station on the** State Railway of Thailand **(SRT)'s train at 9am, taking an hour-long rail journey to Nong Khai for the maiden trip of the 3.5-kilometre rail link service between the two nations.

At Nong Khai, Princess Sirindhorn officially opened the State Railway of Thailand’s library before making the historic trip from Nong Khai, crossing the Mekong River to Vientiane’s Thanaleng station in the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic.

The Thai Princess rang a bell to mark the start of rail services.

After arriving at Thanaleng Station, Princess Sirindhron co-chaired the official opening of the cross-border rail service with Lao PDR Vice-President Bounnhang Vorachith.

The fare for an air-conditioned second class journey is Bt80 per trip, while for ordinary third class it is Bt20.

It is projected that with the train making four round trips daily, revenue from the fares would exceed Bt10 million during the first year of service.

Construction of the six kilometre railway from the Friendship Bridge to Thanaleng Station was completed last year by the Lao National Railway Authority and the** State Railway of Thailand **to develop transport services between the two neighbours.

At the initial stage the service will offer two daily round trips, and the engine and carriages will park overnight at Thailand’s Nongkhai station.

Trains depart Nong Khai station at 9.10am and reach the Lao station at 9.25am. After a scheduled 40-minute layover, the train leaves Thanaleng station at 10.05am and it will arrive at Nongkhai station at 10.20am.

For the second trip of the day, the train will leave Nongkhai railway station at 16:20 p.m and it will reach Thanaleng 16:35 p.m. Then the train will leave Thanaleng railway station for Nongkhai railway station at 17:20 p.m.

Lao Railway Authority Deputy Director General Sonesack N. Nhansan told the official KPL News on Friday that while the current equipment being used is operated by Thailand, the Lao PDR is talking with prospective suppliers and donors regarding both the rolling stock and extension of rail lines to other parts of the country.

Bron: The nation

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Passengers for Thai - Laos train service have to wait

By The Nation

**Thailand and Laos officially opened a historic rail link across the Mekong River Thursday, but travellers will have to wait some time yet before they can use it. **

Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn rang the bell for the opening ceremony of the first train at 9am at Nong Khai station, before her royal departure on the train to Laos’s Tha Nalaeng station.

A date for the start of the train service between Laos and Thailand is still to be set, despite the two countries having completed construction of the "Friendship Railway’ almost a year ago, a Lao official said.

Thailand sponsored the Bt197 million 3.5 kilometre railway to Laos as a gesture to the land-locked neighbour, to encourage construction of a national rail network as part of a functional transportation system.

The rail line ends shortly after crossing the Mekong at Dongphosy village, 25 km from the capital city of Vientiane.

Lao officials said although the official opening of the railway had taken place this week, they were still unable to confirm an exact date for the train service between Laos and Thailand.

“We expect to launch the service soon after the ceremony but we don’t yet know when,” said a senior official to the Vientiane Times.

Officials of the two countries have yet to agree on a number of details for the train service. Thailand, for example, has not opened an international checkpoint at Nong Khai station as Parliament has yet to approve it. Thailand said it also needed more time to complete construction of immigration facilities at the station.

Meanwhile, although Lao officials claim they are ready to open the rail service, Laos has no trains. The** State Railway of Thailand **(SRT) will unilaterally operate a train for four round trips a day, for fares of Bt 50 or 12,000 kip per passenger.

The SRT expected to earn at least Bt10 million annually from the service, an official said.

Lao officials are being trained by the SRT for rail and station operations on the Lao side.

The railway across the Mekong River to Laos is too short at present to provide a service for goods and passengers, but Laos is preparing to extend another section to connect with the capital city.

Laos plans eventually to have a nationwide railway network to include Luang Prabang and connect with the Singapore-Kunming railway under the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) development scheme.

Bron: The Nation