(KPL) There is a fewer people take a train crossing Lao-Thai bridge to Thailand after opening for public service for over one month, said an official.
Leading to the Thanaleng Train Station is currently quiet and some said this is a regular because the station just opened.
The station would be soon improved to attract people coming to use the train and the passengers would increase, an official hoped.
Head of Thanaleng Train Station, Mr Phoutthavanh Sonethavong added that the number of passengers is gradually increasing after starting for service from 9 March to 20 April, the train served more than 3,000 passengers, said Mr Phoutthavanh.
He said that the first estimation shown that the number of arrival passengers is higher than number of departure passengers.
People still don?t know much about the service of train in Laos, he reasoned. Other reason, the train station has no facility, especially the restaurants and ATM machines, he said.
Vientiane residents would like to go to Thailand with their private vehicle instead of taking train, said Mr Phoutthavanh. However, Lao Railway Authority is now making its effort to promote people to take train, he said.
The Train Stations of Laos and Thailand are discussing on sale of train ticket from Vientiane capital to Bangkok to attract more passengers.
is there any bus to go to the train station? i don't think so
so of course, if people have to take their car to go to train station, why not use their car to go directly to Thailand?
1- improve the "short road" to go to the train station from Vientiane center city (the current south road is too long -22km- and have some trafic jams, the "north road" could be much shorter -15km- and faster but have to be finished... actually, it's not really a road for the moment, but just a pathway) 2- open a bus line following this road 3- the purpose of this station is not only passengers but also freight (containers): build the infrastructure for receiving containers just after the train station, as planned, and join directly the future "450 years road" for trucks 4- develop the city around the train station. Now, the train station is just in the middle of countryside, 2km from the closest village (Ban Dongphosy). there is lot of place to build business and houses. People who live close to the train station and can easily join the train station walking (<1,5 km) would probably enjoy a lot taking train to go to Thailand. 5- what about farang tourists? Is it easy for them to come by train from Bangkok? Is it easy to cross the bridge and checkpoint? Isn't there any possibility to improve/simplify things for farangs tourists coming from bkk by train?
Do all this, and then, the train station will give it's full potential!
-- Edited by paris_vientiane on Monday 27th of April 2009 01:26:05 PM
