Officials from Thailand’s railway department visited the Khamsavath Railway Station site in Vientiane Capital last month to monitor progress prior to opening.
The new railway station is part of an extension of the cross-border Laos-Thailand Railway connecting Thailand’s Nong Khai with Thanaleng Station in Vientiane Capital. The new station at Khamsavath will allow passengers from Thailand to travel by train to inner Vientiane.
Thailand’s Department of Rail Transport reports that Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Soraphong Paitoonphong, and Director-General, Dr. Pichet Kunathammarak, visited the station construction project last month.
The project is being funded by Thailand under a combination of a grant and a low-interest loan through the Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) with a total value of THB 900 million.
Originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2021, the Khamsavath Station project has experienced some delays.
When complete, the station, which covers an area of 3,600 meters, will feature two platforms running along a 1-meter gauge track. It will be the final stop on the Vientiane – Nong Khai Railway line.
Meanwhile, a rail link between the Laos-China Railway and the Thanalaeng Dry Port has been completed.
While goods were originally transported by truck to and from Vientiane Southern Station and the Thanaleng Dry Port, an investment in the new rail track has allowed freight to be moved seamlessly by train.
Plans are also in place to link the Thanaleng Dry Port with a new train line running to Vietnam via Thakhek, and connecting to the Vung Ang Seaport.
