Laos-China Rail Project Construction Commences

President Choummaly Sayasone (centre right), Zhang Dejiang (centre left) break ground to commence construction of the China-Laos railway project in Vientiane, capital of Laos, on December 2015.

Laos and China kick off construction in Vientiane of a joint railway project on December 2, 2015. The railway line will link Vientiane with the Chinese border port Boten over a distance of 427.2 kilometers, on which the electricity-powered trains can reach 160 km/h.

The construction will be completed in five years, said Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who is also in charge of the project.

The Vientiane-Boten railway would be a catalyst of the Lao government’s efforts in switching the nation from being landlocked into a land-linked one, and it coincides with the One Belt One Road Initiative raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping, said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The project will adopt the Chinese technique standard and use Chinese equipment, and China takes up 70 percent of the total $62.3 billion investment, according to Chinese government.

The railway, entering Laos from Boten border port, will wind all the way south in the country to connect with Thailand’s planned rail line at the Thai border in Nong Khai province via Laos.

The Vientiane-Boten railway will form part of the regional rail link known as the Kunming-Singapore rail network over a distance of 3,000km. The rail line will link China's Kunming all the way down to Singapore, passing through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia.

Laos President Choummaly Sayasone and Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress (NPC) of China, attended the groundbreaking ceremony in the Lao capital.

December 2, 2015 was also the 40th anniversary of the founding of Lao People’s Democratic Republic.