According to the program of the construction of 3.5 Km-railway line which will connect the Lao-Thai Friendship bridge to the village of Thanalèng in Hadsayfong district, the work will complete in May 2008. Currently the building site is advanced to 28%.
“The line will be open before the opening of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) which will proceed in Laos in 2009", assistant chief of the railway project, Mr. Sonesak NR. Nhansana ensures. Then we will be able to undertake work for the second phase of the project, i.e. the construction of the nine kilometers which will connect the two stations of Round of applause Khamsavat, in the district of Saysettha.
It is the French Agency for the development (AFD) which finances this second section with 150.000 euros height. To start, two trains per day will leave Laos for Thailand.” The cost of the first phase of the project is 197 million bahts and 70% of this sum come from loans contracted by the government. The 30% remainders are a nonrefundable credit granted by the government inhabitant of Thailand. The company of work, returns to the company inhabitant of Thailand Sermsanquan Construction Co., Ltd.
For the second phase of the project, an invitation to tender was launched and five companies already answered: two French companies, Canadian and two inhabitants of Thailand. The attribution of the work will be announced August 31.
The extension of line will connect kilometer 21 of southern the N°13 road, while passing behind the stage which will accomodate the Plays of Southeast Asia 2009. It will serve also the industrial park and the zone of the future airport which will be built with kilometer 21.
In the future the railroad will cross four countries: Laos, China, Viêtnam, Thailand.
Its route will start in Vientiane and will connect the district of Boten, the province of Shangyong in Vietnam and Jinghon in China and the province of Chianrai in Thailand.
This line will give access to correspondences, in particular those of the company Trans Asian Raiway with which one can join Kunming in Singapore, Bangladesh, India and Russia and from there Europe.
It' s really good news as one day we may go to Europe by train, but hope not so soon. Imagine! 5 years of construction aready just for only 3.5 km long. But having said that it's better the no hope.
