Railway Access Road Construction Begins for Tunnel Drilling Site

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A Chinese contractor has recently begun surveying the construction area of an access road to the drilling site for the Laos-China Railway tunnel in Nga district, Oudomxay Province, said a member of the technical staff.

Deputy Head of the Oudomxay Provincial Public Works and Construction Department, Mr Sinouan Khamdy told a KPL News reporter last Friday that the railway will pass through the three districts of Namor, Xay and Nga (40 villages) with a total length of 126.6 km, representing one third of the total length of the rail line. Three main stations and six small stations are to be built in Oudomxay.

This project will be the biggest one ever to be implemented in the province, he said, adding that the majority of the railway construction activities in Oudomxay will be tunnels (40% of the total length of the rail line) and bridges.  The longest tunnel will be 9.3 km in length and will be drilled in Nga District.

The Oudomxay Coordinating Committee for the Management of the Lao-China Railway Construction Project is now conducting a public campaign in affected areas to increase the understand of local people and also to encourage their participation in making the construction project a success, Mr Sinouan said.

The Coordinating Office for the Laos-China Railway Construction Project and seven coordinating committees responsible for the project have also been set up, said Oudomxay Deputy Governor Mr Somchit Phanyasack.

The compensation allowance for families affected by the project in Oudomxay and Luang Namtha has yet to be determined.

The railway is expected to significantly boost transport, both at the provincial and national level.

The cargo transport cost by the Laos-China Railway will be about 100,000 kip per tonne, said Mr Somchit.

More than 5,000 Chinese workers are expected to work on the project.

 

Source: KPL