China Railway Group has welded the final 500-meter section of seamless rails on the Laos-China Railway line in time for the project’s opening at the end of this year.
The railway makes use of modern “continuous weld” technology in order to reduce the number of rail joints, decreasing the system’s maintenance requirements and improving train stability and passenger travel comfort.
According to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC), a joint venture based in Vientiane in charge of the railway’s construction and operation, the CREC-2 has completed the welding of all the seamless rails along the over 400-km railway on Thursday, Xinhua reports.
Chinese state media reports that Chinese engineers have welded seamless rails through 75 tunnels, across 165 bridges, and through 20 railway stations since May 2020.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, announced in August that the Laos-China railway is on schedule for its opening on 2 December, coinciding with Laos National Day.
The Laos-China Railway will run some 426 km, including 198 km of tunnels, and will traverse 62 km of bridges. It will run from the Boten border gate, connecting Northern Laos to China, down to Vientiane Capital, with an operating speed of 160km per hour.
