China-Thailand railway under smooth construction

[艹艹艹]

Double-tracking towards Thai-Laos border funded​

25 October 2023

THAILAND: The Prime Minister’s Office formally approved State Railway of Thailand’s request for 29·7m baht to double-track the Khon Kaen – Nong Khai railway line on October 16.

The 167 km long metre-gauge north-south route runs to Nong Khai near the border with Laos. It handles a significant amount of freight traffic, and the enhancement is expected to increase the capacity of goods flowing between Thailand, Laos and China while reducing transportation costs.

The project would consist of the construction of six new stations and the reconstruction of a further eight. The scope includes construction of 31 road bridges and 53 road underpasses, as well as installing fencing along the double-track sections. Civil works are expected to start next year.

The corridor linking Bangkok with Khon Kaen has already been double-tracked as part of a national programme that is expected to cover up to 2 500 route-km of SRT’s more than 4 000 km metre-gauge network.

Thailand to accelerate construction of China-Thailand railway: PM​

26 October 2023

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

The China-Thailand railway, an important part of the trans-Asian railway network, will be Thailand's first standard-gauge high-speed railway.

BANGKOK, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand plans to speed up the construction of the China-Thailand railway, a bilateral flagship project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has said.

Thailand will create a rail system from Bangkok to Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, and extends all the way to China, aligning with the Belt and Road Initiative, Srettha said during the live dinner talk of Thailand's future 2024 on Tuesday evening.

The two provincial capital cities of Khon Kaen and Nong Khai are both regarded as transport hubs leading up to Thailand's northeastern region.

"Logistics is one of the significant issues for Thailand regarding BRI cooperation and Thailand will enhance the connection between its domestic railways and the China-Laos Railway, a flagship BRI project in the region," Srettha said in an interview with Xinhua before his official visit to China earlier this month, during which he also attended the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.