Boten–Vientiane railway
A CR200J-train at Vang Vieng station
Overview
Other name(s)
  • Laos–China Railway
  • Laos section of the Kunming–Singapore railway
  • Laos higher-speed rail (Laos HSR)
Native nameທາງລົດໄຟບໍ່ເຕັນ-ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ / ລົດໄຟ ລາວ ຈີນ (Lao)
磨万铁路 / 中老鐵路老撾段 (Chinese)
StatusOperational
OwnerLaos–China Railway Company Limited
LocaleLaos
Termini
Continues fromYuxi–Mohan railway
Continues asBangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway (planned)
Stations20
Service
Type
Operator(s)China Railway Kunming Group[2]
Rolling stockCR200J, HXD3C
Daily ridership7,000~10,000(Q1,2023)[3]
History
Commenced25 December 2016 (2016-12-25)[4]
Opened3 December 2021 (2021-12-03)[5][6]
Completed12 October 2021 (2021-10-12)[7]
Technical
Line length422[8] km (262 mi)
Number of tracks1
CharacterElevated
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line
Operating speed
  • Passenger:
  • 160 km/h (100 mph)
  • Freight:
  • 120 km/h (75 mph)[4]
Route map

 Yuxi–Mohan railway (China)
China–Laos Friendship Tunnel
km
0
 Boten
12
 Nateuy
28
 Na Moh
 Na Thong
67
 Muang Xay
 Na Khok
113
 Mueang Nga
 Huay Han
 Mekong River
167
 Luang Prabang
 Xieng Ngeun
 Sala Phu Khun
239
 Mueang Kasi
 Ban Pha Daeng
283
 Vang Vieng
 Vang Khi
342
 Phonhong
 Ban Saka
 Vientiane North
406
 Vientiane
 Vientiane South
Thanaleng
 Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge
 Northeast railway (Thailand)
Inside the railway station at Vientiane

The Boten–Vientiane railway is the Lao section of the Laos–China Railway (LCR), running between the capital Vientiane and the northern town of Boten on the border with Yunnan, China. The line was officially opened on 3 December 2021.[9]

A collaborative project between Laos and China, the line's northern end is directly connected to the Chinese rail system at Mohan in Yunnan, through the Yuxi–Mohan railway, and has provisions in the south to link up with the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway in Thailand and possibly all the way to Singapore via HSR. The railway ends at Vientiane South cargo station. The Boten–Vientiane railway is an integral section of the central line on the Kunming–Singapore railway,[10] and was constructed as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).[11][12]

History

Planning

Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, which burdens it with a competitive disadvantage in trade.[13] During French rule, the French failed to develop a plan to build railways in Laos, with only the 7 km (4.3 mi) Don Det–Don Khon railway being completed.[14] A railway link from China through Laos would greatly reduce cargo transit times and transportation costs between the two countries.[13]

The first talks about the railway linking Laos and China began in 2001. A Lao politician of Chinese descent, Somsavat Lengsavad, was reportedly the driving force behind the project on the Laotian side. In October 2010, plans were announced for a 530 kilometres (330 mi) standard gauge railway linking Vientiane to Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan province in China.[15][16] Construction was expected to begin in 2011, for completion in 2014.[17][18] There were plans to extend this railway south from Vientiane to Bangkok.[19]

The project initially stalled in the wake of the 2011 corruption scandal involving China's minister of railways, Liu Zhijun, but negotiations continued. In November 2012, the Laotian press reported that the money for the construction of the railway would be borrowed from the EXEM Bank of China,[20] and construction would be started in 2013 and completed in 2018.[15] By 2015, a revised plan was agreed upon, under which both countries would jointly finance and operate the railway with a build-operate-transfer arrangement.[21] Construction work worth US$1.2 billion was awarded to the China Railway Group in September 2015.[21]

Construction and completion

Construction began at Luang Prabang on 25 December 2016.[22] At the end of 2017, the construction phase was 20% completed,[23] and in September 2019 progress was reported as 80% completed.[24] Unexploded bombs that have been dropped during the Vietnam War would also be removed along the route.[25]

As of June 2020, Chinese state media reported that the US$6 billion project was 90% done. Work crews started laying track in Laos in March 2020, five years after breaking ground. With all of the many dozen tunnels and bridges completed, cargo service was scheduled to start from December 2021.[26] In April 2021, the northernmost section in Luang Namtha Province was 97% complete. Track laying of the last section in Oudomxay Province would be completed in May, leaving the project well on track for a 2021 opening.[27] Track-laying was officially completed on 12 October 2021.[7] The first EMU was delivered to Vientiane on 16 October 2021, and the line opened on 3 December 2021, a day after the 46th anniversary of the Lao PDR.[9][6]

The railway is expected to boost tourism, with passenger traffic to account for the majority of traffic on the line.[12][28] The Thai province of Nong Khai is also expected to gain more visitors through the railway, as well as fruit exports from Thailand to China benefiting from reduced transportation costs.[29]

As of 2024, it is the most significant Belt and Road Initiative project in Laos.[30]: 212 

Future expansion

Since the line uses a different rail gauge from the existing Thai Northeastern Line link from Bangkok to Thanaleng, running into Thailand is not yet possible for passenger trains. A branch to Thanaleng Dry Port freight yard was completed in July 2022, allowing transfer of cargo between Thai metre gauge railway and Laos standard gauge railway.

However, the Vientiane end of the line will eventually cross the Mekong River on a new bridge to meet up with the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway once it is completed, making the connection.[31] As of 2023, the design of this extension is in progress with a target completion date of 2028.[32]

Financing

Luang Prabang Station

The cost of the project is estimated at US$5.965 billion[33] or RMB 37.425 billion.[34] The railway is funded by 60% of debt financing ($3.6 billion) from the Export-Import Bank of China and the remaining 40% ($2.4 billion) is funded by a joint venture company between the two countries. China holds 70% of the stake of the company. Of the rest of the stake, Lao government disburses $250 million from its national budget and borrows $480 million further from the Export–Import Bank of China.[35] It is the most expensive and largest project to be constructed in Laos as of 2021.[36]

The cost of the railway has contributed to a US$480 million increase in Lao debt to the Export–Import Bank of China. Western publications subsequently claimed that Laos could end up falling into a default on its debts.[37][35][38] In 2019, the Australian think-tank Lowy Institute estimated Laos' debt to China at 45% of its GDP.[37] In 2020, American credit agency Fitch Ratings assigned Laos a 'CCC' credit rating, stating that the country has "excessive debt".[36]

Vientiane train station

Ridership

Between January 2021 and December 2021, the Laos–China Railway as a whole transported over 1 million passengers and 500,000 tonnes of cargo, according to the transport authorities of Yunnan Province.[39]

Infrastructure

Bridge construction in Luang Prabang Province
Viaduct under construction near Vientiane.

47% of the railway is spanned over 75 tunnels and 15% is set on viaducts spread over 167 bridges.[21][22] Vientiane railway station, the largest station on the railway, is situated in Xay Village in Xaythany District and consists of four platforms with seven track lines and two additional platforms with three lines reserved; it is expected to connect with other railway lines planned for Laos. The station can accommodate up to 2,500 passengers with a total area of 14,543 square metres.[40]

The railway is built on a single track with passing loops and is electrified to China's Class I trunk railway standards, suitable for 160 km/h (100 mph) passenger and 120 km/h (75 mph) freight trains, making Laos the first country to connect to the Chinese high-speed railway network using Chinese technology.[28]

Rolling stock

Passenger services employ CR200J trainsets, and for freight hauling, HXD3CA locomotives are used.[41][42][43]

A train wagon with information in 2 languages

Cargo

On 4 December 2021, a day after opening the China–Laos railway, the Vientiane Logistics Park, one of a total of nine logistics centres in Laos, was officially opened by Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh at Thanaleng.[44]

List of stations

32 stations are planned along the line,[45] of which 21 stations were initially constructed including 10 passenger stations and 11 cargo stations:[46][47][48]

Station nameStation typekm [49]Cumulated travel time Fast TrainCumulated travel time Ordinary Train
BotenPassenger00000h0000h00
Na TeuyPassenger, major01300h0900h11
Na MohPassenger028no stop00h26
Na ThongCargo038no stopno stop
Muang XaiPassenger, major06700h3900h57
Na KhokCargo097no stopno stop
Muang NgaPassenger113no stop01h34
Huoay HanCargo135no stopno stop
Luang PrabangPassenger, major16801h3102h15
Xiang NgeunCargo177no stopno stop
Phou KhounCargo209no stopno stop
KasiPassenger239no stop03h04
Pha DaengCargo256no stopno stop
Vang ViengPassenger, major28302h3103h41
Vang KhiCargo310no stopno stop
Phon HongPassenger342no stop04h23
Phon SoungCargo372no stopno stop
Vientiane NorthCargo388no stopno stop
VientianePassenger, major40603h3505h15
Vientiane SouthCargo419no stopno stop

Controversies

Radio Free Asia reported in October 2021 that some Lao villagers displaced from their land by the line's construction complained that they had still not received compensation.[50]

In the first year of operation, the railway only allowed ticket purchases three days in advance and online sales were not available. That resulted in extremely long lines at ticket offices, and express trains often sold out the day ticket sales opened.[51] This has since been partially ameliorated with the LCR app, which allows online purchase of tickets; albeit only for users with a Laotian phone number.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "China and Laos open $6 billion high-speed rail link". Reuters. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  2. ↑ "中老铁路12月3日全线开通运营 昆明至万象约10小时可达". 荆楚网. 2021-12-02. 中老铁路开通初期，老挝段由老中铁路公司委托中国铁路昆明局集团公司运营维护
  3. ↑ "一季度中老铁路客货两旺". CRI online. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Laos-China railway brings changes to Laos". China Daily. 7 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Nong Khai plans for rail link with China". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Laos hopes for economic boost from Chinese-built railway". The Star. 28 November 2021.
  7. 1 2 齐磊. "中老铁路全线铺轨完成 年内开通运营". cn.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  8. ↑ "China-Laos Railway opens, putting Laos on track from landlocked to land-linked". Xinhua. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  9. 1 2 "中老铁路今日通车-图片新闻-中华人民共和国交通运输部". www.mot.gov.cn. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  10. ↑ "China–Laos railway achieves tech breakthrough". China Daily. 30 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  12. 1 2 "Transforming Lao PDR from a Land-locked to a Land-linked Economy". World Bank. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  13. 1 2 "How Laos is overcoming landlockedness and bolstering growth". East Asia Forum. 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  14. ↑ Freeman, Nick (2019-12-11). "Laos' high-speed railway coming round the bend". ThinkChina - Big reads, Opinion & Columns on China. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  15. 1 2 Laos-China railways ready to roll, 2012-11-16
  16. ↑ "NEW CHINA-LAOS LINK". Railways Africa. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  17. ↑ "LAOS LINK WITH CHINA". Railways Africa. 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
  18. ↑ "Railway Gazette: China's horizons extend southwards". 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  19. ↑ "Railway Gazette: Cross-border construction soon". Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  20. ↑ Laos Says China to Finance Rail Link, The Wall Street Journal, 2012-10-24
  21. 1 2 3 "Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link". Nikkei Asian Review. 24 June 2017.
  22. 1 2 "Everything You Need to Know About the Laos–China Railway". The Laotian Times. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  23. ↑ "Laos–China railway '20.3 per cent complete', compensation still unpaid". The Nation. 7 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-06-12.
  24. ↑ "Nearly 80 pct of China–Laos railway construction completed". Xinhua News Agency. 22 September 2019. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  25. ↑ "Unexploded ordnance to be cleaned along Laos–China railway". China Internet Information Center.
  26. ↑ "China-Laos railway holes all 75 tunnels - Xinhua | English.news.cn".
  27. ↑ "ການກໍ່ສ້າງພື້ນຖານໂຄງສ້າງທາງລົດໄຟ ລາວ-ຈີນ ໄລຍະທາງຜ່ານແຂວງຫຼວງນ້ຳທາ ສຳເລັດແລ້ວ 97%" [Construction of Lao-China Railway Infrastructure via Luang Namtha Province Completed 97%]. Target Magazine (in Lao). Archived from the original on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  28. 1 2 Brian King (22 August 2017). "Chinese railway could put Laos on the tourist map". CNN. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  29. ↑ "Laos' China-backed railway: hopes in Thailand, fears in Luang Prabang". South China Morning Post. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  30. ↑ Gerstl, Alfred (2023). "China in its Immediate Neighborhood". In Kironska, Kristina; Turscanyi, Richard Q. (eds.). Contemporary China: a New Superpower?. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-03-239508-1.
  31. ↑ "Calls to speed up link to Laos-China line". Bangkok Post.
  32. ↑ https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2023/12/18/high-speed-rail-linking-thailand039s-nong-khai-and-laos-capital-vientiane-expected-to-complete-in-2028
  33. ↑ "ເສັ້ນທາງລົດໄຟ ລາວ-ຈີນ ຈະເລີ່ມແລ່ນທົດລອງທ້າຍປີນີ້". 31 March 2021.
  34. ↑ "中老铁路-新建铁路磨丁至万象线站房及相关工程施工总价承包中标结果 - 路桥资讯-桥梁要闻、会展报告、路桥政策-中国桥梁网 -".
  35. 1 2 "Can Laos profit from China rail link despite being US$1.5 billion in debt?". South China Morning Post. 10 December 2019.
  36. 1 2 "China's debt-trap diplomacy: Laos' credit rating downgraded to CCC". Thailand Business News. 2 November 2020.
  37. 1 2 "Laos Stumbles Under Rising Chinese Debt Burden". The Diplomat. 7 September 2020.
  38. ↑ "Taking power - Chinese firm to run Laos electric grid amid default warnings". Reuters. 4 September 2020.
  39. ↑ "China-Laos Railway transports over one million passengers since launch". Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  40. ↑ Phonevilay, Latsamy (4 July 2020). "Construction of Vientiane Station Commences on Laos–China Railway". The Laotian Times. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  41. ↑ "รบ.ลาวตั้งชื่อรถไฟ "ล้านช้าง-แคนลาว" ขบวนแรกข้ามจากจีนถึงบ่อเต็น 14 ต.ค." mgronline.com (in Thai). 13 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  42. ↑ "Công ty Đường sắt Lào Trung mua hai đoàn tàu CR200J của Trung Quốc". tapchilaoviet.org (in Vietnamese). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  43. ↑ ""绿巨人"CR200J动车将跑上中老铁路，昆明直达老挝首都|界面新闻". www.jiemian.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  44. ↑ The Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Vientiane: Thanaleng Dry Port International Border Checkpoints was officially inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Phankham Viphavanh, Prime Minister of Laos. Thanaleng Dry Port is located at prime location with an extensive area of 382 hectares, and granted the exclusive privilege by the Lao government, as a flagship to drive the national logistics strategy to transform Laos from a landlocked into a land linked country. Thanaleng and Vientiane Logistic Park project is one of the 9 Dry ports in Laos., 4 December 2021, retrieved 4 December 2021.
  45. ↑ "老挝北部的中老铁路建设如火如荼-新华网". 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018.
  46. ↑ "集团公司党委书记、董事长张建喜出席中老铁路站房及相关工程施工合同签约仪式－公共建筑－中国中铁建工集团". 14 April 2020.
  47. ↑ "中老铁路-新建铁路磨丁至万象线站房及相关工程施工总价承包中标结果 - 路桥资讯-桥梁要闻、会展报告、路桥政策-中国桥梁网". 24 March 2020.
  48. ↑ "中老铁路-新建铁路磨丁至万象线四电工程施工总价承包中标结果". 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  49. ↑ "Laos-China Railway Schedule and Pricing". 28 September 2022.
  50. ↑ Finney, Richard (2021-10-05). "Lao Villagers Not Yet Paid For Land Lost to China-Backed High-Speed Rail Project". Radio Free Asia.
  51. ↑ Syboun, Khonephachanh (13 January 2022). "Laos-China Railway Allows Three-Day Advance Ticket Purchases". Retrieved 18 April 2023.
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