Lao New Year Ticket Turmoil on Laos-China Railway

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Long lines at the Vientiane Railway Station ticket office.
Long lines at the Vientiane Railway Station ticket office (Photo: Ny Vanhnisa).

An increase in travel ahead of the Lao New Year holiday has caused mayhem at ticketing offices along the Laos-China Railway.

Lengthy queues formed at the Vientiane Railway Station ticket office, with passengers arriving in the early morning prior to opening hours in hopes of being served first.

Similarly, long lines were witnessed outside the Vientiane Center Shopping Mall ticket office, where customers jostled each other for a position in line.

The Laos-China Railway Company (LCRC) announced on its Facebook page earlier today that in order to meet the increased demand for travel during the holiday period, it would commence operations of its conventional train service from 13 April.

The 732 seater conventional train travels at 120 km per hour and has 36 soft sleeper seats.

The railway service has also stated it will begin passenger services to and from Kasi and Muang Nga stations from 14 April.

Despite continued customer complaints, the section of the Laos-China Railway operating within Laos does not yet have an online ticketing system.