Construction of the high-speed rail link connecting Kunming in Yunnan province with the Lao PDR capital of Vientiane has commenced and is scheduled to open in 2022. Lao PDR’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism deputy director general, Bounlap Douangphoumy, recently informed media that passenger trains on the electric line would stop at Luang Prabang.
The line covers a distance of more than 400 km with eight stations set for construction in Laos. Eventually it will merge with a high-speed rail line running south through Thailand to Bangkok and the eastern seaboard port of Laem Chabang. Work is already underway on 76 tunnels and 154 bridges passing through mountainous terrain in northern Laos. Once completed, passenger trains will travel at speeds of up to 160 kph, significantly cutting travel times between the two countries from a full day to just a few hours.
